The Spartans of Olympus: The Celeritas
by TheSpartanInitiative
Summary: Antonio Rodriguez had lived his entire life knowing he was different, but never really knowing why. After a tragic accident, he is suddenly thrust into the world of gods, monsters, and men in masks with secret agendas. With the help of his mortal friends, can Toni be the hero the world needs him to be? Rated T for fight scenes and mild language
1. Author's Note

Hello and welcome! Before you begin reading, there are a few things I would like you to know:

1.) This is a collaboration story, involving quite a few very talented individuals. Check out our profile page for more information on the authors and betas.

2.) All character face claims will be listed on the profile page. For a more fully-immersive and pleasurable reading, please see the face claims listed on the profile page. They will be updated as the story progresses.

3.) _**THIS STORY WILL UPDATE EVERY FRIDAY!**_

I hope you enjoy the story, and will follow, favorite, and comment your thoughts!

TheSpartanInitiative Team


	2. Prologue

A tall figure stood inside a doorway, bathed in moonlight, his shadow casting darkness across the room and onto his barely visible desk. He walked into the room, closing the door, and fixed his attention on the contents of the tiny area. Hastily scrawled notes were written in blue ink on top of a world map, papers and red string sprawled across it. Drawings of necklaces and armor were pinned on a cork board above the desk, and post-it notes were attached to seemingly random drawings, with no way to make any connection between, well, _anything_. A passport-sized photo of a girl, around the age of sixteen or seventeen, was pinned onto a corner of the corkboard, barely visible unless you leaned in close and squinted your eyes.

The man, as he was identified once he took off his hoodie, was bent over the desk, tanned skin peeking out underneath a gray turtleneck. "They can't be in San Francisco, I've already looked," he croaked, slipping into another language as he continued to whisper mad ramblings to himself. He reached over and picked up a blue pen writing frantically on the map again, scratching through the upper-half of California.

"Come on, come on," he hissed, hands flying as he wrote on the map, occasionally pulling out a strange-looking box, punching in coordinates and staring at it for a minute before groaning in annoyance and dropping the box on the desk in anger. "You had to have left some sort of clue, some way I can find it…" his voice trailed off, and the man stood up, letting out a shaking breath as icy blue eyes gave a look over his small apartment, the busy lights of Nashville visible outside of his window, the dark night sky barely noticeable.

He took in a deep breath, hands shaking as he ran them through his mess of brown hair, shivering and falling to his knees with eyes screwed shut. It had been years, decades even since the Incident had occurred, but he wasn't willing to let it go. She had died during the Incident, and he wasn't going to sit back and pretend nothing had happened- no, he needed revenge.

Letting out another, cautious breath, he opened his eyes once more, his hands not shaking nearly as much, but his motions still cautious, guarded, as though he expected someone to walk in on him at any moment. "I'll- I'll avenge you, Katie," he breathed, the words sounding like it was more a promise to himself than to her. "I just need to find out how."

A silent tear dripped down his face, and he allowed his guards to crumble, granting himself that brief moment of vulnerability, one that he would pay so, so much for later.

 _ **"**_ _ **Is that what you seek, child; revenge?"**_

The man jumped up, forcing his tears to stop falling as he tensed his muscles, waiting for an attack. His eyes searched the room once more, this time looking for anything to use as a weapon, but as the lights were never turned on he couldn't even see who was talking to him. Silently cursing his stupidity, the man licked his lips in anticipation of a fight, only to hear the same booming voice call out once more, though this time from behind him.

 _ **"**_ _ **I know what you are searching for; the dark desire of your heart, and I am willing to give it to you… for a price."**_


	3. Chapter 1

_**Toni POV**_

I wish my life was less complicated. So when people asked me, "Hey, what are you doing after school today?" I could respond, "Oh, nothing much…relaxing and maybe finishing my homework." That would be great. Instead, my life has pretty much consisted of running from giant monsters and psycho killers in masks. And even _that_ can't be normal, because when I say run, I don't mean your normal sprinting for my life. I mean running at upwards of 800 miles per hour, dodging cars that look like they are moving at a snail's pace.

Oh, and the name's Antonio Rodriguez, by the way, but everyone calls me Toni. You've got to be wondering; why are the monsters chasing you? How can you run so fast? Are you a superhero? Because they want to kill me, I inherited my speed from my dad, and….yes. Yes, I am. In order for you to understand my story, we have to start from the beginning.

My abilities really began to exhibit when I was eight years old. I was out on the school playground, kicking around a soccer ball with my friends, back when I lived in beautiful El Paso, Texas. Everything started out normal; my team bringing the ball up the field, the other team doing their level best (which really wasn't much) to stop us. I remember falling and stumbling, trying my best to pull myself back up and catch up with the others when suddenly, _wham!_ I'm on the other side of town, my clothes singed and smoking and the rubber on the soles of my shoes feeling sticky.

I was scared, and the only thing I really remembered thinking was I needed to find a way to get back to school. I started jogging, and nothing special happened, I was running at the same pace as I always had. Then, the moment I hit what I thought was my top speed, it happened again; I felt like I was in another world, watching a fly flap its wings ever so slowly, and cars slow to a near stop. I kept running, and before I knew it, I was back at the playground, my clothes still smoking. Needless to say, the playground monitor freaked out, demanding the principal have my mom come and pick me up.

When I saw how scared my mom was, how she was fussing over me with her watery green eyes, I began thinking I had done something wrong. It got to the point that, on the way home, I asked if there was something wrong with me, or if I'd done anything bad. She pulled the car over and looked back at me with the most serious look I'd ever seen.

"Antonio, there is nothing wrong with you," she stated, softly yet emphatically, "You are gifted, and someday, you will do great things."

"They all look at me funny... like I'm a freak." I barely whispered.

"When the world gets you down," She said, pressing play on her iPod, _Don't Bring Me Down_ by ELO blaring over the speakers. "Drown it out." She continued with a smile, beginning to sing along with the words, and I couldn't help but join her. One thing we loved to do together more than anything was listen to music. Mom always had the best songs, songs that she had listened to with her mother. I remember driving down the road, singing along at the top of our lungs, off-key but enjoying every second of it. I have to admit, it really did make the world look a whole lot smaller. That night, I woke up from a nightmare, and quietly made my way downstairs to get a drink of milk, when I overheard her talking on the phone.

"Yes… Yes Daniel. He seems to take after his father… Yes across town, I don't know what I'm going to do… What? No… I couldn't ask you to do that. … Okay. Okay! Alright, geez, calm down, Danny!" She chuckled. Mom grabbed a notepad and pen and started jotting something down.

"Yeah… yeah… And you two are sure about this?... Thanks Daniel… you have no idea how much this means to me. … Okay, we'll see you then." My mom hung up the phone, and turned to see me standing there. She knelt down next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, buddy. I guess you heard." She gestured to the phone. I nodded slowly, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Well, that was your Uncle Dan and Aunt Kelly. They're going to let us go and stay with them for a while. Would you like that?" She asked. I nodded quickly. Uncle Dan was the best. He knew all kinds of amazing card tricks, that I had no idea how he could pull off. It was almost like magic, which come to think of it, it might just have actually been.

Anyways, we worked through the whole night, packing things up and putting them out by the door. Well, Mom did anyways. I collapsed on the couch at eleven o'clock and woke up at about nine the next morning to find the rest of our stuff packed. Mom must have worked like a machine. We loaded our things into the back of our truck, and set off. It took us quite a bit of time to to get to Uncle Dan and Aunt Kelly's; they lived all the way over in Houston. When we got there, we were greeted with smiles and hugs.

"Thank you for this, Dan. Really, this is amazing." She said, Uncle Dan blowing raspberries at the comment.

"Please, Laura; how many times did you cover my butt at camp? Besides, we're family; it's the least I can do." He insisted. He then came over to me and knelt to my level, smiling warmly.

"Hey, buddy. So, I heard that you can run." He said lightly.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I tried to joke, but I guess my fear was pretty obvious, Uncle Dan placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, Toni. That's why you are here. I am going to teach you how to control your… gifts. Only use them when you want to." He explained. That sounded really great. One time being looked at like a freak show was enough for me.

"Really? You… you think you can really teach me to control it?" I asked hopefully. My aunt stepped forwards and opened her palm, a bright light appearing in the middle. She gently blew on it, and butterflies flew into the air, dissipating into nothing. I looked at her, my eyes as big as bowling balls.

"You… you're like me!" I exclaimed. She nodded, a smile on her face.

"And I was able to learn to control it. You are no different, Toni. With time, you too will learn to control your abilities."

"B-but what about school? I don't want to go back there! Not until I can be normal, like the other kids!" I cried. My aunt simply smiled, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine, Antonio; I can home school you until you're ready." She explained. I set my jaw, ready to do whatever it took to learn to control my powers.

"Where do we start?" I asked. That day I began training, and five years later, I was finally ready to reenter regular school as a regular teen. Yay.


	4. Chapter 2

My first day back to school was… educational. Kids my age everywhere, running here and there, yelling at one another and getting reacquainted. I looked down at the schedule in my hands, then at what I was wearing. Ripped, faded jeans; my pink Nike Hyperdunks; and my faded brown leather racer, a gift from my dad, overtop of a tee shirt that said "I'm bringing sexy Bach" with Johann Sebastian Bach on it. I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves.

It's just school, dude… chill out, I told myself. My little moment of calm was interrupted by a cheerful, bubbly voice right next to me.

"Hi, newbie!" The girl said happily. She was about my height with a very petite frame. Her hair was a light chocolate brown, falling in curls that framed her face. Her pale skin was adorned with freckles splotched aimlessly all over. I could almost feel her vibrant green eyes digging into mine, trying to gauge what kind of person I was. I realized I was staring and tried to think of something to say.

"Oh, um… hi," I replied quietly.

LOSER! My brain screamed. She didn't seem to notice, sticking out her hand.

"My name's Marie. Marie Dare," She greeted. I took her hand, shaking gently.

"Antonio Rodriguez, but my friends call me Toni," I responded. Her smile got even brighter, if that was at all possible.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Toni. Allow me to give you the tour!" She exclaimed. Before I could protest, she grabbed my wrist and began dragging me through the hallways.

"Have you found your locker yet?" She asked.

"Um, no actually I just got here…" I was interrupted by her snatching my schedule out of my hands and scanning over it.

"Your locker is close to mine… come on!" She continued pulling me along. We reached a row of lockers, Marie reading off my combination and unlocking it for me. She grabbed my bag and hung it on one of the hooks, locking my locker and once again tugging me along.

"Come on, Toni, there's so much to see!" She exclaimed. She was pulling me so fast that I almost ran into a group of girls talking.

"Ugh, Britney. Ignore her, she's bad news." She groaned. Suddenly, I heard the sound of books meeting floor, turning to see a group of students surrounding a boy, who was picking up his books off of the floor.

"Come on, Porter, what's wrong? Too chicken to fight back?" One taunted. He was a little taller than me, and totally looked like the football team captain. His blonde hair was crew cut to perfection, and he had a posse tagging along behind him, all joining in, laughing. I instantly remembered when I had been bullied, before my little 'powers mishap'; before my abilities really showed forth.

 _I was swinging on the swings at the playground, my left hand buzzing. I looked over at it and sighed sadly as I watched the other kids play. Why did they get to be normal? I couldn't even try and play with them without the constant fear that one of my arms or legs would suddenly vibrate out of control. I felt like such a freak, even at the age of 7. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't even see the school bully, Dominick, strutting over to the swings._

 _"Hey, loser. What's the matter? Freaking out again?" He laughed, mimicking my shaking hand._

 _"Leave me alone." I whispered weakly. He stepped towards me, stopping my swing._

 _"Freak," He announced, pushing me off of my swing and into the rubber-mulch._

 _"What's the matter? To chicken to fight back?..._

I wiggled my wrist free from Marie, walking over to the group. I had been the outcast once, and it made me really mad to see other people doing the same to someone else. The boy on the floor was a little shorter than me, and looked like the kind of person who knew his way around a computer. He was wearing cargo shorts and an unbuttoned button up shirt, with a black Xbox shirt on underneath. His long, mop top hair was swept to the side as he continued picking up his stuff. I pushed my way through the herd of bullies, kneeling down and helping him pick up his stuff.

"Oh look, Port-a-Potty has a friend," crew cut jeered. "Get your nose out of our business." The jock continued. When I didn't respond, he grabbed me by my jacket, rearing me around to face him.

"You ignoring me, newbie?" he asked menacingly. I smirked deviously. You see, one of the first things I learned from being an outcast was to never, ever show weakness. Dominick taught me that day; never ever show fear. I've kept the advice near to my heart. I had learned the ancient remedy for bullies long ago; quips. Wisecrack remarks, jokes, and comebacks were bullies' Kryptonite, which I brandished with the skill and expertise one can only achieve through rigorous trial-and-error.

"My gosh… is that your face, or did your neck just throw up?" I replied. I don't think the kid's face could have gotten any redder, everyone bursting out laughing at him.

"Did you just call me ugly, punk?" He asked threateningly. I put my hands up defensively, jerkily removing his hand from my jacket, fixing it back into place.

"I didn't say you were ugly at all…. You assumed I meant ugly, but I meant hideous beyond belief. I would never try to offend you… not when nature has already done such a bang-up job. I mean, you're so freakin hideous, I don't know whether to laugh, vomit, or scream 'It's ALIIIVE'! " I replied, doing my best impersonation of Dr. Frankenstein at the end. That one got the crowd rolling, and even the kid on the floor couldn't help but chuckle. I guess the bully had had enough, seeing as though he suddenly threw a right hook at me. Time slowed down to a near stop, as it always did when my adrenaline rushed. I waited for about 10 seconds, his fist coming at me so slowly it practically made me yawn. Then, at the last second, I sidestepped out of the way, quickly shoving him in the chest and returning to my original position, so no one would know. What they saw was me dodge his hit, and him fly across the room into the lockers behind him for seemingly no reason. Just then a teacher came out into the hallway as I helped this Porter kid to his feet, handing him his books.

"Is there a problem here?" The teacher asked angrily.

"Uh, no, Mr. Samuels… no problem. I just tripped and the new kid here was helping me pick up my stuff." Porter explained. If the teacher didn't buy it, he certainly wasn't going to do anything about it anyways.

"Well, let's go. You've all got classes to get to!" He commanded, everyone scattering. The boy looked back, then smiled warmly at me.

"What you did back there… thanks. Oh, and I'm Russell, by the way. Russell Porter, but you can call me R.J." he greeted.

"Toni Rodriguez," I supplied. Just then, Marie made her way through the quickly dissolving crowd.

"R.J., are you ok? Bryce is such a loser," she steamed, looking at me skeptically. I couldn't shake this weird feeling forming in the pit of my gut that she was going to make my life a whole lot more… difficult.


	5. Chapter 3

**_Marie POV_**

"Wow, impressive dodge, Toni," I stated curiously. I wasn't sure just what to make of Toni. Yeah, he was a good person, but he was… hiding something. And I'll be damned if I didn't figure out what it is.

"Uh, yeah… I have really good reflexes," he answered, voice wavering and unsure. Before I had the chance to interrogate him, the bell went off and, silently cursing my luck, I dragged him into Mr. Norman's class. Mr. Norman was… strange. He had weird, chunky, oversized glasses that covered half of his face, and his eyes were barely discernible through them. He was friendly enough, but sometimes he went into these long, angry rants about… something or the other. He was like the sweet old neighbor next door that was missing a few screws, except for the fact that he was not a day over thirty.

"Okay, okay everyone. Yes, first day of school. Big day. Bigger for some than other, as we have a new student to welcome to our school, a Mr. Antonio Rodriguez. Make him feel welcome," he stated, looking at Toni. Something flashed in his eyes, and I bit my lip, shooting a glance to Toni when Mr. Norman stopped looking.

"Right then, we have a lot of work to do and not much time to do it. I am Mr. Norman, and I will be your history teacher for the duration of the year. Now, I know that we usually do orientation, but you will go through it in English class anyways, so let's jump right into the material, shall we?" he stated, the whole class groaning. Mr. Norman rolled his eyes, turning on his SmartBoard.

"Ok, so this semester, we will be learning about Roman history. Now, the Roman Empire started all the way back in…" The class continued on like this for the whole 45 minutes. It was interesting, the culture and all, and I probably would be more involved and excited if Mr. Norman didn't roll his eyes every few seconds, talking robotically. When the bell rang, he dismissed us from class, but not before asking to have a word with Toni. I raised an eyebrow, looking at him worridley. It wasn't a good thing if you were asked to meet a teacher personally after class, especially if it was your first day.

"It'll be fine," Toni insisted when he saw me hesitating, motioning for me to leave the classroom.

"No, no, it's fine if you want to stay, Miss Dare." Mr. Norman said, gesturing towards his desk. Toni shot me an annoyed-looking glance, but grudgingly allowed me to walk up to the desk with him. When we got to the desk, Mr. Norman smiled serenely, before looking at Toni, "It's been a while, Toni."

I blinked in surprise, almost missing Toni's response. Not good Mare, I silently scolded, you need to pay attention if you want to know stuff.

"I… I know you…" Toni half-asked, half-stated, Mr. Norman's smile widening.

"Yes, indeed you do, Toni. Your mother and I are good friends, have been for many years, ever since we met in a," his voice trailed off when he saw me, as though he was just remembering that I was there. "... a summer camp when we were about your age. The last time I saw you was when your mother came down to visit your aunt and uncle about 7 years ago. My, you've grown." He finished, smiling at Toni kindly. Toni frowned for a second, looking confused, when suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Yeah… I actually remember! It's nice to see you again, Mr. Norman!" he exclaimed.

"Likewise, Toni. Oh, and make sure to tell your mother that if there is anything you need, anything at all… all you have to do is call." He promised kindly. Toni nodded, smiling back and waving happily, whereas my smile was tight and forced- Mr. Norman was part of what was going on too, no doubt.

"I'll see you around!" Toni yelled, taking off out the door, me just saying a quick 'bye Mr. Norman' before speed-walking across the threshold. R.J. was waiting for us outside, looking slightly annoyed.

"Did you get in trouble? What happened?" he asked, looking at me pointedly. Obviously, we were going to have a little… 'talk' later.

"Mr Norman is an old family friend… we were just catching up." Toni explained. We continued to our separate ways, to other classes, and before I knew it, it was lunch.

As soon as the bell rang, the halls crowded with ravenous students, all rolling their eyes and chatting animatedly with their friends.

"Hey, forest girl!" I heard someone yell at my back, snickering to their crew not a second later. I swallowed, pretending not to hear them, even though I knew I would pay for it later. R.J. seemed to sense my uneasiness as he looked at me, worry in his eyes. 'It's nothing,' I mouthed. Toni met up with us a moment later, him just leaving Gym. It was one of the classes he didn't share with R.J. or me, as the both of us elected to take the Study Hall elective instead this year.

Once we reached the cafeteria, I automatically made a beeline to the lunch line, the money in my pocket safely hidden under my shirt, long enough to be mistaken for a short dress. Toni and R.J. both went ahead to find us a table, promising to save me a seat as soon as they found one. I stepped into line slowly, hands shaking when I realized that I was stuck in between Ryden and Bryce in line- the school's biggest douchebags.

"Hey forest girl, I saw that you didn't talk to me this morning," Ryden sneered, looking at me disgustedly.

"Yeah," Bryce chimed in, grinning wickedly, "I was really looking forward to our… daily talks."

I clenched my fists, walking a step further in the line, picking up a tray and carefully holding it out to the lunch ladies.

"What? Cat's got your tongue?"

Ryden's hand snatched out, clenching my arm with a vice-like grip, fake nails digging into my skin. " Come on, freakshow… your usual dog breath can't be that bad. Or are you afraid you're going to end up crying in the bathroom again?"

Taking in a shaking breath, I forced myself to ignore them, remembering Dad's words when I got into my first, and only, fight.

"Mr. Dare? Your daughter has been… No, she hasn't been acting weirdly- well yes, she has… No, not like that, Mr. Dare. Should I be worried? ...No it's not that. She got into a fight with one of her classmates… Ryden, the State Senator's daughter. … Oh, you know who she is, this makes it easier… If you could get here as fast as you could… ten minutes? Yes, that'll work. I'll see you soon, Mr. Dare."

I was six, sitting in the principal's office of my elementary school, legs swinging off the too-big chairs, eyes flashing with anger and suppressed tears. My nemesis, Ryden, had yelled at me again today, making fun of my name and pushing me into the wood chips of my playground, my skin scraping and blood coming from my knees and hands.

This was the sixth time this week that Ryden had made fun of me, and I'd been pushed to my limits, so I'd yelled back today and broken her nose. Obviously, Ryden gets off without anything but an ice-pack and a fake apology from me, but the one time I fight back I get sent to the principal's office. Yay.

"Miss Dare, do you have anything you'd like to say?"

The school's principal, Mr. Orachely, wasn't the nicest man- and by 'wasn't the nicest', I mean that he was the most biased, hypocritical person you'd ever meet. With a head full of nicely colored, salt-and-pepper hair, and pleasant features coupled with a 'snazzy dressing style', most parents though that he was the best person to ever grace the earth. I, too, once did, until I realized just how… ignorant he was of his students.

I shook my head adamantly, not wanting to give anything away. Besides, Dad would take my side- I was his daughter.

Mr. Orachely let out an almost pleased sigh, looking at me with 'disappointment' in his hazel eyes. "If that's what you want, Miss Dare." We sat in a tense silence for the next ten minutes, filled only with the sounds of typing and paper rustling as Mr. Orachely tried to work on something or the other.

Knock knock.

As soon as the knock was heard, Mr. Orachely stood up, opening the door to reveal my father, Mr. Dare. Dad himself was an imposing figure, a six foot man with striking red hair and death glares. "Mr. Orachely, a pleasure to see you," Dad said.

"Dad! Dad!" I cried, running up to hug him. To my astonishment, Dad only looked at me with a glare, not returning the hug I gave him.

"Sit down, Marie." he said, and I sat down immediately, a bad feeling beginning to grow in my stomach- he only called me 'Marie', and not 'Mare', when he was really, really mad. "So, you called me, Mr. Orachely?"

"Yes," the principal began, pulling out a file. "Your daughter broke Ryden Melwick's nose this afternoon, and pushed Ryden into the pavement- Ryden could've been seriously injured, even broken a bone if Miss Dare here wasn't six."

"Oh? Melwick, as in Sophia Melwick?"

"Yes, the Senator's daughter. Did we not already discuss this?"

"Well, yes, but I thought my ears were playing tricks on me."

The two laughed, exchanging forced smiles, Mr. Orachely finally knitting his hands together and looking at Dad with a furrowed brow. "The matter comes to this, Mr. Dare- Marie hurt Ryden, and I simply cannot allow such a thing to go unpunished- Marie could go down a dark path in the future if we don't stamp out the problem at the roots."

Dad looked at me, eyes flashing. "Don't worry, she'll be dealt with at home. Until then, however, I think that detentions, or no recesses, would be a fit punishment."

Hope fluttered in my stomach once more, and I smiled. Missing recess and having detentions wasn't as bad of a punishment as I pictured, and what's the worst that could happen at home? Have my dolls taken away, even though I don't even use them?

Mr. Orachely seemed to have the same train of thought that I did, because he looked at Dad questioningly. "Are you sure that it will be dealt with, Mr. Dare? She's your daughter- you're bound to hold some sort of bias."

"Don't worry, this won't happen again," Dad assured, "Now, should I take her home? I think it'll be best if she skips the rest of school."

"...Of course," Mr. Orachely said grudgingly, "You may leave."

Dad and I walked back to the car, and I grinned, talking his ear off. "So, I was really craving McDonalds, do you think we could go there? I haven't had a McFlurry in forever, and I really want some chicken nuggets. Can we? Can we? Pretty please, can we?"

Dad stopped walking and looked at me, anger flaring in his eyes. "Don't you know what you've done, Marie?" he hissed. I stopped chanting immediately, biting my lip worriedly. "Our company and the Senator's were planning on having a contract forged- we would've been able to get the forest, protected by the government. We would've gotten enough money to buy McDonalds! Now there's nothing, nothing that can stop her from nulling the contract! We won't be able to go to McDonalds anymore, we won't be able to afford it. And you know who's fault that's going to be? Yours, Marie, Yours! How do you expect to someday take my place in the office acting like some… neanderthal!"

He shook his head, muttering 'stupid girl' under his breath. My heart beat faster, and a tear slid down my cheek.

"Don't cry now! We have a reputation to keep up!"

Flinching back, I slowly, unsteadily, walked out of the line, keeping my fingers still as I pressed them against the tray, my knuckles turning a pasty white.

"Hey Marie!" I heard R.J. yell. I quickly walked toward them, speeding up to the point that the disgusting-looking lasagna on my plate was sliding down itself, making a mess on my plate. Guess I'll just be eating an apple this lunch.

I sat in the chair waiting for me, forcing myself to act natural as we smiled and talked. And, honestly, it did make me feel better when I was bickering with R.J. and bonding over music with Toni rather than sit in a nook of the library, alone, crying. As we were talking, I noticed Toni look back and frown, a crease growing between his eyebrows.

Seemingly within the span of a millisecond, I saw a blur rise from his seat, reach mine, and do… something. A second later, I saw him looking back down at his plate, him no longer a blur, biting his lip. Not a moment later, I looked down to see that my plate, or me, had moved an inch, and lasagna splattered the table where I was positive I was sitting a second ago.

"Damn, I could have sworn that was going to nail her." I heard Ryden gripe. I turned back to look at her in astonishment, slowly looking down at the lasagna mess that was obviously projectiled from the table behind us, where Ryden was sitting in Bryce's lap. My eyes rose in to R.J., who looked just as, if not more, confused than me, and then to Toni, who was staring at his plate very, very determinedly.

"How… how did that not hit me? Not that I'm complaining, but… did you two see that? I was sitting all the way into the table and then… BAM! I was scooted out." R.J. nodded in agreement, but I focused on Toni, trying to sense his reaction. He refused to look at me, instead picking up his fork and playing with the lasagna on his plate.

"What do you think about this, Toni? Weird, right?" I asked. My voice had an accusative tone to it, and any person with common sense would know that I probably should get some answers, but Toni just, infuriatingly, shook his head.

"Uh, yeah… that's really weird. Maybe you just have better reflexes than you thought." he commented, voice faint.

"Like yours?" I asked. He was an idiot if he didn't think I'd make the connection, or if I couldn't see that he had… super speed, or something.

"Yeah, sure." he tried to shrug nonchalantly, but it didn't work, as I was still scanning him, trying to find any trace of what just happened, anything that could give me a clue.

"So, tell me; why does Ms. Sunshine over there feel the need to chuck Italian cuisine at you?" he said, trying to change the subject. I faltered, trying desperately with some kind of lie; there was no way I was going to burden him with my problems.

"I may or may not have told her she was an air-headed gold digger with no chance at having an actual career… and that I'd be sure to visit her every day after we graduated… at her 9 to 5, minimum wage McDonald's job." I explained. R.J. and Toni both burst out laughing, and I joined in once I saw that they weren't suspicious at all.

As the end of lunch neared, with twenty minutes until the bell for classes, R.J. stood up nervously, fiddling with his hands as he looked at me,. "Um- Marie, can we… talk?" His question finished awkwardly, as Toni looked at us with confusion.

Looking at the speedster for confirmation, Toni nodded and I looked at R.J. "Uh, sure," I said with hesitation.

The two of us carefully weaved our way through the cafeteria crowd, and I shot one last glance over my shoulder before we walked through the doors to the lunch hall, feeling slightly guilty for leaving Toni, a new kid, alone in the hall. As I turned to look at R.J., I noticed his head tilted to the side slightly, a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"What."

"...You don't have to be so obvious about it, you know." R.J. remarked after a beat of pause.

My brows furrowed as I tried to scan my memory for anything I was possibly hiding. After coming up with nothing, I threw my hands into the air with frustration as R.J. and I rounded the corner to an empty hallway, leading to nothing but a dead end and a bathroom; there weren't even lockers. "Obvious about what?"

"Really, Marie? If you crush on Toni any harder, you might break something," R.J. stated.

"I don- my cru- I don't have a crush," I sputtered.

"Could've fooled me. You spend all your time with him, you're constantly looking out for him, you seemed to decide that we-" here R.J. stopped talking, gesturing to himself and Marie, "-we should be Toni's best friends. You've known him for a day, Marie. If that isn't a crush then I don't know what is."

I froze. "I do that because Toni is my friend, and he seemed like a nice guy when I first met him. I don't have a crush, no matter what you might think."

R.J. scoffed, rolling his eyes as he shifted, leaning against the wall. "Oh really? Because as far as I know, I'm your friend too, Marie, and I've never been treated that way. Unless, of course, I've been misreading the signs and you just like the idea of a hopelessly clueless nerd following you around every day."

I licked my lips, taking in a shuddering breath. No matter that he might be very, very misguided, R.J. was right; I had never treated him the way I've been treating Toni. But I was positive that I didn't have a crush on Toni; he wasn't my type, and I didn't really like the whole 'mystery' vibe that most other girls did. So why did I do that? "I- I don't know, okay? I don't know."

My breaths came out faster, thoughts suddenly flooding me as I put my hands to my head. "I don't know!" I yelled, and R.J.'s face suddenly contorted, the malice on it replaced with worry. He walked toward me, and I half-heartedly pushed him away, curling in on myself as shudders racked my body.

"Hey- hey, Marie, it's fine." I was vaguely aware of someone hugging me, and I buried my face in their chest. God, there were so many things I didn't know, and I needed to. I had to solve them, I had to fix everything, I had to be good and better and nicer, I had to, I had to, I had to, I had to, I ha-

"It'll be okay, Marie. It'll be okay. We're here, and we're okay," the voice, sounding a lot like R.J., rubbed my back, and if he was annoyed that there was a rapidly-growing patch of damp cloth on his shoulder, he didn't show it.

My sobs gradually quited, until I was leaning on R.J., his arms wrapped around me as silent tears streamed down my face, my ear pressed to his chest and hearing the familiar, calming ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum.

Finally I looked up, wiping my face with my hand. "Th- thanks, R.J."

He smiled wanly, "No problem. We shou- should probably get to class. If we run, we could still make it."

/chapter break

Later that day, as the doors to the outside world opened, the three of us walked out, chatting as we reached the edge of the walkway.

"Hey, thanks for being so cool to me today, guys. It's nice to have good friends." Toni said, smiling. R.J. fist bumped him, pointing a finger gun our way as he walked toward a bus.

"Anytime, Toni." He laughed, hopping onto his bus, leaving just Toni and I.

"There is something different about you, Antonio. Something… special. Whenever you feel like sharing, let me know." I said ominously, deciding to allow Toni to draw his own conclusions to what I meant. Wouldn't hurt. I climbed onto the bus, feeling slightly exhilarated at what I had just accomplished. Little did I know exactly what kind of mess my curiosity would land me into.


	6. Chapter 4

_**Toni**_

My life was pretty normal for about 7 months. School, hanging out with my two friends, and mostly getting to know them.

Marie was really cool, sweet and bubbly, always greeting me with a smile and kind words. I found out that her parents worked at a Law firm, and were some of the best lawyers in the country. They were always travelling around, and were rarely ever home. When I asked who stayed with her when they were gone, she simply hung her head and shrugged.

"They know that I am old enough to take care of myself… mom makes sure I have plenty of microwave meals and junk, so… I'm usually by myself. She tells the neighbors, and they come and check on me every once in a while, but… yeah." She admitted. That actually made me pretty sad and angry. What kind of parents would neglect their kid like that? After explaining the situation to my mom, I spent many, many nights over at her house, doing homework and watching movies… generally just being there for her. R.J. would join us too, whenever he could. I found out that he was a genius; apparently, his parents let him transform their old garage into his own personal lab. He let us look around once, and it was insane! Pieces and parts everywhere, accompanied by partially built machines and blueprints. When I asked him what he could build, he laughed.

"Anything you want… with the right parts and equipment." He added. His parents were both computer programmers, which is where he picked up his love for technology. Both R.J. and Marie were my best friends, and were always there for me when I needed them, be it Marie, when I almost get into a fight, pulling me away and telling me it wasn't worth it, or R.J. helping me with my Algebra homework, we had each other's backs. Life was going great, until that dreadful night. April 2, 2012. I came home from school, and walked into the kitchen to get a snack, when like a trip to the past I overheard my mother talking to my Aunt and Uncle.

"And you're sure about this, Beth? I mean, you haven't seen anything since…" I heard the emotion in Uncle Dan's voice, and crept closer to the doorway. I knew something wasn't right; Uncle Dan only used Mom's middle name when things got serious. Usually, that was a great indicator it was time for me to run.

"Yes, Daniel; I'm sure. I saw it clearly." My mom repeated. I could imagine the indignant look on my uncle's face, stepping towards my mother.

"Well then, let's get you two out of here! I can get you a plane ticket to New York; I'm sure that the camp director would--"

"No, Danny. It has to be this way. I've seen it myself; Antonio was always destined to do great things; I can't stand in the way of that any longer. I have hid him away from the world long enough. It's time for him to use his gift for the good of us all." Mom said cryptically. Camp? Destiny? What the heck was she talking about?

"There has got to be something I can do!" Uncle Dan insisted, Mom sighing.

"The only thing that might help is a special herb that can be used to make an incense. Sometimes, the smell can ward off the Fates." I heard mom say. I snuck up to my room and plopped onto my bed, my heart racing a hundred miles an hour. I looked at my hand, which was buzzing like an electronic back massager. This always happened when I got nervous; It became increasingly difficult to keep my abilities under wraps. That night, I headed back downstairs. I had done my homework, played video games, called Marie and chatted for a while… did everything I could possibly think of to calm my nerves, but after 3 hours I knew the only way I was going to get any closure was to confront my mother and ask what the heck was going on.

"Mom, we need to talk." I said firmly. She turned from washing the dishes and looked at me with a look I will never forget. So much love and tenderness, like a martyr facing the blade

"Hey, honey. What's up?" She asked, drying her hands and trying to sound calm.

"I was hoping you could tell me, what with all the destinies and camp and whatever the heck else. What is going on?" I asked desperately. She sighed, as though she saw this whole conversation coming a mile away, and walked over to me.

"Toni, there is something that you need to know… something I should have told you a long, long time ago." She began, like she was about to rip apart everything I had ever known about life… which was kind of exactly what she was going to do.

"It's about your father… he… I... " She took a deep breath, then looked me in the eye. "Do you ever wonder where your powers came from?" She asked seriously.

"Well, yeah… all the time. And my dad… he didn't die on an oil rig, did he?" I half-asked, half-stated. My dad was a very touchy subject for both of us. My mom had always told me that he worked on an oil rig that had exploded, and that he had died trying to save some of his co-workers. I had never even met him, and felt really uneasy even talking about him. Mom drew in a long, deep breath.

"No, Toni. No… he didn't." She closed her eyes to gather her thoughts.

"Toni, this is hard to say… Your dad… he wasn't exactly... like us." She finally got out. I cocked an eyebrow curiously.

"What, is he like, an alien or…" I began. Mom laughed out loud, which honestly helped both of us break the ice that was building.

"No, your father wasn't an alien. He was… a god." She finally said. I was a bit taken aback.

"A god? Like- like mythology god? Like Olympians, lighting bolts, Underworld… those Gods?" I asked. She nodded slowly.

"Exactly like that. Your father was actually a Roman god. Mercury." She explained. I tried to take this all in, and at the same time not think that my mother had officially lost it. I mean, it made sense. Mercury was the god of speed… that would explain my 'gifts'.

"Ok, so my dad is a god… wow that feels weird to say." I admitted. This was a hard pill to swallow, but I believed it. I mean, she's my mom. She's not going to lie to me, not about something this huge. "But, what does that have to do with the whole 'destiny' thing?" I asked. Her face turned a bit more cold, like it always did when she was about to tell me some bad news.

"You aren't the only one that descended from the gods, Toni. My dad was a half-blood as well. Son of Apollo. Like you, I inherited some of my grandfather's gifts. I can see certain events in the future, and know when the time has come for them to pass. You have such an amazing destiny ahead of you, Toni. You will make many friends, and together you will do great things.

"A great peril is coming to earth; one unlike it has ever seen before. The world will need you and your abilities, to help keep it safe from these threats. I can't hold on any longer, Toni." She was starting to choke up, which was really making me nervous. Before I could even console her, she walked over to the closet, and opened it. She pulled out a Nike sneaker box, reaching inside and grabbing a tiny wristband out. It looked to be made of a dull, black metallic material. She handed it to me like it was the detonator to a nuclear bomb.

"This… has a lot of history behind it. It belonged to your grandfather, back when he was a camper. Both he and your dad wanted you to have this when the time was right." She explained. When it touched my hand, it instantly morphed into what looked to be a Power Balance band. I looked up at mom incredulously.

"Grandpa wanted me to have a Power Balance band? These things don't even work." I tried to lighten the mood. She smiled warmly, and I felt like she was looking at me funny… like she wished there was more time. She handed me a tiny, grey box with a purple bow on it.

"And this is a gift from me." She explained. She placed a hand on my shoulder, still looking me dead in the eyes.

"Mom, you're starting to scare me." I admitted. She simply shook her head at me, her grip on my shoulder tightening.

"Antonio, you have got to promise me something. Promise me that you will be strong and keep on hoping and laughing and loving… and living life." She grabbed my wrist gently, holding it up for me to see the bracelet. "Promise me that you will be courageous, and a protector of those who can't protect themselves; that you will do whatever it takes to keep the people of this planet safe." She demanded. I swallowed hard, my throat dry and my hands vibrating like crazy.

"I… I promise, mom. But seriously, what--" I never even had time to say anything else, as the wall to our right suddenly imploded on us, sending us flying backwards onto the floor. I saw red all around, forcing myself to look at where the wall used to be. What I saw still horrifies me. A giant, overweight man with a soiled loincloth, who was looking at me like I was lunch. The weirdest thing about his face was that it only had one eye, which at the time I was not sure whether or not that seeing this was caused by the loss of blood making me hallucinate. He looked over at my mother, and I struggled to stand. I felt the back of my head, my hand turning a healthy scarlet color. My mom was trying to stand as well, looking at me with panic in her eyes.

"Toni, run!" She commanded, the creature advancing on her. I staggered over to her, trying my best to keep it together, but I could feel myself fading quickly. The creature looked over at me, swatting me out of the way. I flew backwards, smashing into the wall. My vision blurred, as the creature reached out and grabbed my mom by the waist, its massive hand wrapping completely around her.

"Where is it? Where is the artifact?" The beast bellowed in a deep, bass voice. My mother looked at the creature with determination and anger.

"I'll never tell you anything!" She screamed, her eyes turning a bright green color and emanating light. Her entire body was enveloped in the green aura, the creature squealing and getting absorbed into the pea-green cloud, which suddenly imploded on itself, leaving nothing behind. I could barely hear my aunt and uncle get back from the store, and kick down the front door before I finally lost consciousness.


	7. Chapter 5

_**Toni**_

I woke up with a splitting headache, in a white room that I didn't recognize. I could hear a steady, rhythmic beeping sound, realizing I was in a hospital. I sat up slowly, seeing my Uncle Dan asleep in the chair besides me. He woke up suddenly, jerking his head over and looking at me with such hope and relief.

"Toni! Are you ok, buddy, how do you feel?" He asked. Though it was a bit fuzzy, the entire event was all coming back to me. I felt like I needed to cry, but couldn't.

"Mom… she's…" I tried to ask, my voice hoarse and dry. Uncle Dan's face dropped, his smile instantly vanishing.

"Toni… I'm so sorry. Your mother told us that there was nothing we could do. Believe me, buddy; if… if I could have been there." he promised, emotion pushing through his usually playful voice. I reached over and placed a hand his.

"I know, Uncle Dan. I'm not angry at you." I promised. He stood up, nodding ever so slightly.

"Well, I'm gonna go tell your Aunt that you're awake. She's been worried sick about you." He explained.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"A week. Doctors said that you healed remarkably fast. Guess your insides work fast too." He smirked lightly. Despite the moment, I tried my best to smile back. He walked out of the room, and I looked around. It was a pretty generic hospital room; 2 chairs in front of my bed, a TV hanging from the ceiling, a sink to my right. On the left, there was a tiny nightstand, on top sat a tiny, smoke-charred box with a torn purple ribbon on top. I felt a lump forming in my throat as I picked it up. I slowly unwrapped the bow, pulling the top off. Inside was a tiny note, folded neatly, my name written in mom's handwriting on the top. I unfolded it, the emotion building up inside like a volcano.

'For when the world gets you down.' It read. I looked underneath, mom's old iPod Nano sitting there on top of a piece of wrapping paper, untouched by the explosion.

"Drown it out." I whispered, plugging in the earbuds and turning it on. I hit shuffle and sat back, trying to keep it together. But when Let's Stay Together by Al Green came on, the tears fell freely. I remember falling asleep to the words-

"... Lovin' you whether…. whether times are good or bad, happy or sad."

After another 3 days, the doctor finally released me. My aunt and uncle had already rented us a place just down the street, and had almost moved all of our stuff there. The drive there was pretty much silent; I had my headphones on and was listening to mom and my old jams. The place was really nice; I even got my own room. All of my stuff was already there, but I wasn't really paying much attention to any of it; I was still in shock as to what had happened. I was laying on my bed, listening to music, when my phone began to buzz on my nightstand. I paused my music and picked it up. It was Marie. I took a deep breath, then answered.

"Hey." I tried to sound cool and collected, but probably came across exactly how I felt; still broken.

"Hey. I was worried sick about you!" She said quietly and kindly, which was unlike her. She was usually pretty loud and excited.

"I'm fine. I mean, what's a couple broken ribs here and there?" I tried to joke, but she wasn't having it.

"No, you're not, Toni. I just heard about your mom… I'm so sorry." She said genuinely.

"It's not your fault. You don't need to be sorry." I said, trying with every ounce of my willpower to keep it together. "So, uh… how much homework did I miss?" I tried to change the subject. For a while, we just talked about what I had missed at school. After talking for a bit, I told Marie that I was getting tired, and we promised to meet up in front of her house the next day, and walk to school together. I hung up, flopping back down on my bed. I pressed play once again, drowning my thoughts beneath the roaring sound of Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas. I felt myself tearing up again, remembering the time Mom and I had listened to that song on the way home from school, when I stopped myself.

What would Mom think of you now? Would she want you to be laying here, crying over her? Grieving is one thing, but this… I made her a promise to be strong and stay positive. I can't go back on her-- I won't. I decided. Mom told me to love and live… that was exactly what I was going to do. I would definitely love… living was a completely different matter, as I would soon find out. My return to school was as expected; boring, long, and full of people who felt the continual need to tell me they were sorry about my loss. I probably would have gotten mad, had I not been listening to my iPod all day. The only exception was in history class. When Mr. Norman saw me walk in, his expression became so soft and kind, I kind of felt my emotions resurfacing. He asked to speak to me out in the hallway for a moment and, after making sure no one was around, took me by surprise, hugging me.

"Toni…. I heard about your mother… I am so, so truly sorry." He whispered. He let me go, looking me in the eyes.

"She truly was an amazing lady… there are so many debts I owe her that I will never be able to repay." He continued, staring off into space. He took in a deep breath and half-smiled.

"How are you holding up?" He asked. I shrugged, honestly not knowing how to respond.

"I'm trying to get through… Mom would have wanted me to stay strong." I explained, Mr. Norman nodded, pulling out a sticky note and jotting something down.

"If you ever need anything… I'm only a phone call away. Wherever, whenever." He promised. I actually smiled, taking the note. He smirked, mouthing 'play along' before heading back into the room.

"... and I do expect your homework on time, Mr. Rodriguez." He said, taking a seat at his desk. I rolled my eyes and slumped into my desk, Mr. Norman beginning the day's lectures. Man, he was the best teacher ever. The rest of my week went as expected. Catching up on homework here, hanging out with my friends there. It wasn't until 2 days before Spring break that my life was yet again flipped upside-down. I was staying late that evening in our school's Public Library, studying up on Roman battles and victories in the library, listening to the final song on mom's playlist; Get Down On It by Kool and the Gang, when something strange happened; another song, titled Unknown began to play, and I have to admit, I almost cried right there.

"Toni, if you are listening to this, it means that you have listened through every song on our old playlist." Mom's voice came washing over my ears.

"Firstly, I wanted to let you know how much I love you, and am so proud of you for staying strong. I haven't got much time, so I'll cut to the chase; When I was your age, four demigods and I were a part of quest to find a very ancient and powerful object called the Celeritas. This relic was more powerful than any I had ever seen. I had foreseen that a great and evil force would try to use the Celeritas to destroy life as we know it, so with Zeus permission, I hid it away, then had my memory wiped clean of the event.

"However, before I forgot it's location, I hid clues leading to the Celeritas with the four other demigods who originally found it, to make sure that if we ever needed to, we could re-hide it to keep it away from those who would seek to use its power for evil. I fear that the time has come to find and retrieve this relic. Listen carefully, Toni; this message will delete itself after playing. The first clue lies with an archeologist by the name of Dr. David Gnosa, somewhere in Florida. Find him, and tell him 'Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.' Trust me, he'll understand.

"Be careful Toni. Never be ashamed to run from an enemy you can't beat, and remember your grandfather's gift. I love you Antonio… and always will." The message ended. I looked down at the piece of paper in front of me, all of the information written down. I wanted nothing more than to replay that message over and over again, just to hear mom's voice one more time.

"Hey Toni, whatcha doin?" Marie seemingly appeared out of nowhere. What she was doing there, I still have no idea; stalking me, maybe? I put the paper into my pocket at super speeds, then turned and removed my earbuds, pretending I didn't hear her. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I said whatcha doin?" She repeated. R.J. stood behind her,and waved silently.

"Oh, just… studying. Mr. Norman has that quiz on Roman battles tomorrow, and I'd prefer not to tank it." I must have tried too hard, because Marie sat down next to me, grabbing my arm.

"Look, Antonio. I know something isn't right with you. Tell me what it is, and I will try and help you. But don't you insult me by thinking even for a second you can pull one on me." She said seriously. I really wanted to tell her the truth, that I was the son of a god and my dead mother had left a secret message for me to go and find some ancient superweapon.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you." I said under my breath. Suddenly, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, my leg vibrating a hundred miles an hour. A blast of air washed over us, an odd looking person standing in front of us. He was wearing a black trench coat, black army cargo pants, a black shirt, and you guessed it, black army boots. He looked like he was wearing a ski mask underneath a replica white Greek Opera Mask, chorus four, as I would find out it was called. This mask, however, had no mouth; it was smooth all the way across, and had a red streak painted diagonally across the face. He looked right at me, his eyes gazing into my soul.

"Mr. Rodriguez, so we finally meet." He was obviously using a voice modifier, sounding eerily similar to Darth Vader, minus the heaving breaths.

"Who are you?" I asked, more worried than curious. I had to clutch my right hand to keep it from vibrating out of control. The man held his hands behind his back, not moving an inch.

"My name is irrelevant, but you may call me… Melpos. You have something I need, Mr. Rodriguez. Tell me where the Celeritas is." He said flatly yet firmly. A thousand thoughts ran through my head all at once. How did he know my name? How could he have known that I knew about the Celeritas when I had just found out myself?

"Toni… what's going on?" Marie asked worriedly.

"Marie, take R.J. and get out of here." I commanded.

"No, I'm not leaving--"

"Now!" I yelled. I never raise my voice, so I guess she got the message, grabbing R.J.s hand and slowly making her way to the door. Melpos suddenly appeared behind them, taking us all by surprise.

"This will all be a whole lot simpler if you just comply." He stated robotically. I was starting to wonder if he was a robot. He appeared in front of me, but this time, I saw him move. He wasn't teleporting… he was running. He was like me… which honestly made me more freaked out than anything. He was holding a bronze blade in his hand, twirling it as he advanced.

"Tell me the location, now." He finished angrily. I felt my wristband, remembering my mom's words. I flicked my wrist, unknowingly activating the weapon within. I watched as it morphed and stretched into a large disc shape. An armguard grew up my forearm, attaching itself firmly to my hand. As soon as it formed, I swung outwards, smashing it into his unsuspecting face, sending the man flying into some nearby bookshelves. I looked down at the weapon in my hands, shocked. It was a black metal disc, about 29 inches in diameter, with an upside-down 'V' stretching across the front. The armguard part was attached in place of a traditional leather strap, which made it much easier to maneuver.

"... A shield. Seriously?" I complained. By then, my attacker had already gotten to his feet, and was brushing himself off. He cracked his neck, staring at me with his expressionless gaze.

"Enough games, Mr. Rodriguez. I won't ask nicely again." The man promised. I stood my ground, holding my new 'weapon' to my side. Without warning, he charged at me, my adrenaline taking over. Even when time all around us seemed to stop, he still moved considerably fast. Though large, the shield was relatively light for its size, allowing me to swing it upwards and parry his strike.

"You lack training; it's evident with your unorthodox form." He commented, the vibrato in his voice seeming to ring even louder. He slashed and stabbed at me repeatedly; some I blocked, but others I was just lucky to duck out of the way in time. I realised my luck couldn't last forever, suddenly running out of the corner he had tried to back me into.

"Impressive. But impressive isn't enough, Mr. Rodriguez. I will find what I am looking for." He promised. This time, I didn't wait for him to attack. I knew that my only hope was to catch him off guard, swinging my shield upwards at him as hard as I could. He was able to move his arm down in time to stop my battering ram from taking his head off, his blade flying out of his hand and sliding across the floor. Instincts I didn't know I had kicked in as I jerkily kicked him in the back of the knee, sending him to the floor. He instantly recovered, sweeping my feet out from under me and pinning me down, pulling another knife out of his coat pocket and pointing it at my neck.

"Where. Is. The. Artifact?" He asked. I could tell he was getting agitated, and that wasn't exactly the best of news for me. I looked over his shoulder, seeing Marie sneaking up on the guy, knife in hand.

"Fine I'll tell you where it is." I whispered in pain. His grip on me loosened ever so slightly. Despite the moment, I smirked up at him. "You'll find it parked firmly up your--" I was interrupted by him crying out in pain, the knife that had flown out of his hand now firmly lodged into his shoulder blade. I took the opportunity to kick him off of me.

"Come on, let's go!" I yelled to the others. We all bolted out the door, and kept running until we were all the way down the road, leaning up against a tree as we caught out breath… well, R.J. and I did anyways. We looked back towards the library, quickly walking down the street towards our houses. We all lived on the same block, ironic as it was it was definitely nice to live so close together. I looked over and saw a very unhappy Marie, and I knew that things were about to get interesting.


	8. Chapter 6

**Marie POV**

"What the heck was that?" I squealed, running my hands through my dark brown locks. This, this was definitely the clue I was waiting for. The mystery surrounding him, the random flashes of superspeed, and now this? Oh, if he didn't tell me what was going on, I'd kill him slowly, and then bring him back from the dead just to kill him again.

"I don't really know." Toni partially lied, hesitating for a brief moment. I glared at him, feeling anger crawl up me. Maybe he didn't know everything, but he had no, no right to hide what he did know from us; not when we'd risked everything to save him back there.

"You have no idea what I've done for you, what I've hidden. If I was in my senses, I'd have gone to the nearest police office the second I saw you pull that speed trick with Bryce. Instead, I had to be 'loyal', and 'a good friend', because I thought that you'd actually have some respect for R.J. and I, who risked our non-superpowered lives for you. Obviously, you don't. Seems like you don't get the idea of 'being a good friend' either." My breath came in short bursts, and my voice grew in volume the longer I talked, so that at the end of my impromptu speech, I was practically yelling at him.

Toni looked at me in confusion, his brows furrowing. "You- you could see me do that?" His voice was worried, and he closed his eyes, almost instinctively reaching for the earbuds in his pocket.

"Out of everything I said, that's what you focused on?" I cried, before letting out a scoff. "Of course you would, Rodriguez."

Toni looked even more confused, muttering something about 'mist' and 'mortals'. "You- you shouldn't be able to do that. You're a mortal."

"As if you aren't?" I questioned, voice sharp as I raised an eyebrow and rolled my eyes; Ryden would be proud of me.

Toni faltered, before talking in a breath. "No- no I'm not." While R.J. and I looked on skeptically, Toni took in a breath and began to explain everything. How he found out his powers, how his mom died and left him that almost crazy sounding quest behind- but most importantly, how his dad was Mercury, a Roman god.

At the end of his little speech, I let out a breath, leaning against a telephone, my anger fizzled out to nothing. "It all makes sense… all of my life, I've been able to see things that other people couldn't; no one ever believed me. At first, they thought it was just childish imagination, but when I got older, my mom made me swear to stop talking about seeing monsters." I took in a shaky breath; this was the first time I'd ever talked about my 'hallucinations' since I was seven. I hadn't even spoken about this to R.J., and he was the closest friend I'd ever had. "It's- it's nice to know that I'm not crazy."

"So you believe me?" Toni asked excitedly.

"Well, while it definitely wasn't the answer I expected, it does make sense," I said, letting out a dry huff of amusement, "but you're serious about finding the Doctor?"

"It was my mom's final request; if she wants me to find this artifact, that is exactly what I am going to do." Toni said firmly, looking almost lost and desperate as he eyed R.J. and me, trying to see what our reactions were.

"Then we're coming with you." I stated, smiling as I put my hand on his shoulder. "You're even crazier than I thought you were if you think that we're letting you do this alone."

" 'We'? Oh, no… I've got homework to finish, and I need to finish reprogramming my…" R.J. began, eyes wide as he looked nervously at me, only be on the receiving side of my death glare. "I mean, yeah! Let's do it! I mean, we're going to find an archeologist, right? Archeology is, like, the most boring science out there. What's the worst that could happen?" he corrected. I grinned at R.J. in relief, and tried to convey an 'I owe you one,' through my eyes.

"Guys, I appreciate the gesture, but I can't let you do this; it's too dangerous for mortals to--" Toni began, hands up in an attempt to placate us.

"Let us?" I scoffed, turning to face Toni. "Let me tell you something, buddy; I just had to witness you fight some crazy lunatic in a mask, whilst being tossed around like a rag doll. Toni, I stabbed a man! I've earned the right to do whatever the heck I want, and if you think for a moment that there is any way that you can keep me from coming, you've got another thing coming."

Toni looked very surprised, turning to R.J. for help, who only shook his head and stepped slightly backwards. "Ok… well then, now that that's settled," he coughed, and I grinned, R.J. just shaking his head and muttering about us being lunatics. "You good with this, R.J.?"

"Do I look like I have a choice?" He mumbled, and I thought he was genuinely angry that I forced him on the quest with us, until I noticed a small, rare smile on his face. Shaking my head, I put an arm on his shoulder too, all of us huddled together against a small breeze that had picked up on the block. After the unplanned hug, we all stepped aside, Toni opening his mouth to talk.

"You know, I don't even know how I am going to get there." he admitted. I bit my lip, mentally wondering whether or not to share the… tools, for lack of a better word, I had at my disposal.

Before I could say anything, R.J. grinned, "Oh, Marie can help!"

"You can?" Toni's voice was surprised, yet hopeful, and he looked at me in what was probably supposed to be a charismatic smile; he just looked constipated. Yet, now that R.J. had said it, there was no way to take it back. And, it wouldn't be so bad, would it?

"Dude, my parents are lawyers… they're loaded. I could buy a freakin car, and they're so busy and wealthy they wouldn't even notice." I said bitterly. Toni looked at me with a frown, and I could tell that he didn't miss how I spat the words, like they physically pained me to say them.

"And you're sure about this?" He reiterated.

"Don't make me spell it out for you, Rodriguez." I said with a smile. "All I need to know is where to?"

Toni paused for a second, his eyebrows scrunching.

"I got this." R.J. said, pulling out his phone and punching something in. In less than a minute, he held up his phone.

"Dr. Gnosa, leading archeologist at the Swiss School of Archeology in Orlando, Florida ." He explained.

"So, Florida it is then. I'm going to have to tell my aunt and uncle, but they'll understand. What about you guys?" Toni said, looking at us questioningly.

"My parents won't even notice I'm gone." I said quietly, chuckling bitterly. R.J. looked like a deer in headlights, not noticing the almost… brotherly look Toni gave me, in how worried it was.

"My parents will never let me do anything crazy like this! They'll kill me!" R.J cried.

"Not if we make them think that you are coming with me on a family business trip." I smirked, the moment between Toni and I passing. At Toni's raised eyebrow, though, I continued, "I once took R.J. with me to France when I was five because I didn't want to be bored. Ever since, his parents were fine with him hitchhiking on vacations and trips with my family across the world."

"You've known him since you were five?" Toni asked, incredulous.

"Long story," R.J. said, "we'll tell you all about it later."

Toni shook his head, before asking yet another question. "You think they'll buy it, let R.J. head over to Florida?"

"No offense R.J., but your parents are pretty oblivious," I stated as kindly as possible, knowing. R.J. just shook his head slowly.

"You know if I die on this little adventure, my mom will kill me, right?" He said super seriously. I ignored R.J., pulling out a familiar golden credit card from my pocket, and then pulling my phone out of my backpack.

"My 'in case of emergencies' debit card, for when mom and dad are gone… so, like, all the time." I explained without even looking up, now focused on the phone in my other hand. After about 10 minutes, it vibrated, and I looked up at them with a smile.

"And done! Our flight has officially been booked. We leave Saturday at 12:00 pm. Plenty of time to convince your parents to let you come on our boring, business trip, R.J. And it gives us enough time to make a game plan to kick Melpos's butt! See, I told you I've got this!" I said with a grin, only to notice Toni frowning, eyes clouded as he looked out at the school. "What's up, Toni?"

Toni looked at me, a troubled look drawn over his face. "...Nothing."

R.J. looked at Toni, walking toward him. "Dude, we're your friends. If there's anyone you should talk to, it's us."

Toni sighed, fiddling with his earbuds as he began talking. "It's just that- I've lived my entire life thinking I was the only one. I was the fastest being in the universe, a freak amongst normal. And then… then whatever that thing is comes along and I find out that I'm not. How am I supposed to fight something that moves even faster than I do?"

R.J. sighed, throwing his arm over Toni's shoulder's while I turned to him, smiling as I put a hand on his shoulder, R.J. adjusting himself so that my hand actually stayed there. "You don't have to fight him alone, though," I assured, "R.J. and I are going to be with you every step of the way. So what that you might not be faster than him? Everyone has a weakness… we'll just have to find his. And when we do, he's going down."

Toni smiled lightly, reaching up and squeezing my hand, before turning to R.J. and swinging his arm around R.J.'s back. "Thanks guys. That- that really helped. See you tomorrow!" With that final statement, he carefully slipped out of R.J.'s arm, walking backwards down the street and raising a hand in goodbye, a grin on his lips, before breaking into a light jog and walking forward, his back to us.

I turned to look at R.J., who looked not at all happy about being roped into this. "Look R.J., seriously. I just said that on the spur of the moment. If you don't want to do this, it's fine. I'll tell Toni something. It's okay."

R.J. faltered, before adjusting his backpack strap, looking at me curiously. "Remember when we first met?"

Chuckling, I nodded. "Yeah. Who wouldn't? You literally ran up to me and said you liked my 'They Might Be Giants' t-shirt. On the first day of school. In front of the whole class. When it was dead silent. I think I remember."

R.J. grinned at the memory, looking at me earnestly. "Hey, they were a good band!"

"You still listen to them, Rus," I joked, using the nickname I'd eventually given to him.

"No I don't!"

"Whatever you say, Russel J..-"

"Don't say my name! Someone might hear!" R.J. cried, looking around in mock panic. He hated his real name with a burning passion, hence the 'R.J.'.

"Whatever you say, R.J."

R.J. sighed, shaking his head. "What I meant is that I'm your," R.J. faltered, swallowing, looking like he wanted to say something, but was too nervous to. After seeing a raised eyebrow from me, he cleared his throat and continued. "...friend. And friends stick with each other, no matter what happens. Toni's my friend, Marie. I'm sticking with him-- and you-- no matter where it brings me."

I smiled, putting my hand on top of his. "Thanks, R.J.," I whispered, and the two of us looked at each other for a tension-filled moment, R.J.'s eyes searching my face, just as my eyes searched his face. For the first time, I noticed the flecks of hazel in his dark brown eyes, and the tiny scar on his cheekbone, from where he had fallen and crashed into a wired fence when he was barely four. I cleared my throat, taking in a shaky breath. "I- I need to go home, pack for the trip and all that."

"Right," R.J. mumbled almost… disappointedly, and I forced myself not to notice, trying to force down the blush growing on my face.

I smiled shakily, turning my back and speed-walking down my street. "B- Bye, R.J.!"


	9. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Eight: Toni**_

Marie, R.J., and I met in front of the school the next day. I had told them to meet me there, because we needed to talk.

"Look, guys; stay on your toes. That Melpos guy could be hiding anywhere, waiting to strike. Eyes open, head on a swivel; if you see anything suspicious, hide. Understood?" I asked, the 2 nodding. Despite staying alert the whole day, the final day before Spring break was relatively uneventful. The funniest thing to happen all day was when Mr. Norman's red pen burst all over the back of his shirt while he was using it to scratch his back a little too quickly before getting caught.

"Crap. Well, this one's ruined." He gripped. The whole class was laughing, and even he joined in, then quickly got us back to work. After class, I asked Mr. Norman if I could speak with him for moment. After the whole 'man in the mask' fiasko, I went online and researched the mask, printing off a picture. I knew that Mr. Norman went to camp with my mom, and given his background in history, I was hoping he could shed some light on the subject. The moment he saw it, his expression became extremely worried, like a horrifying curse had befallen me. He looked around to make sure no one could hear, then leaned in close.

"Toni, where did you see this?" He asked.

"A...A man wearing this mask attacked me and some of my friends last night… wanted to know the location of an artifact." I explained. He sighed and stroked his chin.

"This mask belonged to an ancient cult that disbanded back in my camp days…. They worshiped a very powerful and ancient relic, prophesying that it would usher in the end of the world. Some say that there are still some followers even today, operating underground. The last time I saw one of these… let's just say things weren't exactly pleasant."

"You said they worshipped a powerful relic… What exactly was it called" I asked

"The Celeritas. Retrieving it was one of the greatest quests of my era. Very, very powerful. Your mother was the one who had it hidden; only to be moved if absolutely necessary." He said, clearly already catching on.

"She sent you to retrieve it didn't she? The Celeritas." He asked. I nodded, Mr. Norman running his hands through his hair, looking around to make sure no one was listening in.

"Don't say anything else, Antonio. If I know anything, the rest of the school and I become targets. It is our duty as demigods to keep the mortal world safe from harm." He finished, slowly standing up from his desk chair.

"Are you ok?" I asked. He brushed my concern off.

"Oh, just arthritis. My years at camp are finally catching up with me, I'm afraid. My first year, I broke my shoulder clean out of socket! I suppose I was bound to pay for it someday." He explained. For some reason, the picture on his desk caught my eye. Normally, it was turned away from the class, so no one really ever looked at it.

"Hey, that looks like…. Mom…" I tried to keep my emotions at bay. Mr. Norman smiled sadly, picking up the photo. It was a group of about 10 kids, all posing in their own quirky and wonderful way, smiling brightly into a camera.

"Yeah… and that's me, believe it or not." He joked, pointing to what was easily identified as a him. I vaguely recognized most of the people in the picture. My aunt and uncle, Mr. Norman, and a few people I thought I had met a long time ago. But one in particular I never remembered seeing. A tall, skinny kid with a long black mop top, covering his left eye.

"Who's he?" I asked curiously, Mr. Norman's mood seeming to deflate a bit.

"That's Troy. Troy Flores." He said painfully.

"What happened to him? Did he die?" I asked, almost regretting it, until Mr. Norman shook his head.

"No one really knows what happened to Troy. After the Celeritas quest, he was never the same. He left camp that year and never returned. I've tried to get in contact with him, but never got very far. Try as we might, we could never find him… that quest impacted him more than anyone." Mr. Norman explained, his voice barely above a whisper. After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat.

"Thanks for the information, Mr. Norman. I'll see you in a few weeks." I promised. He smiled warmly at me as I took off down the hallway to meet up with Marie and R.J.

"You all packed up and ready to go?" She asked both of us.

"Yep. I can't wait until this is all just a distant memory." I admitted out loud. We rode the buses home, and said goodbye to our respective parents/guardians. As I was leaving, my aunt ran outside to catch up to me, handing me a bag of what looked to be tiny graham crackers and a canteen.

"Nectar and Ambrosia squares. Do not give these to mortals, and only eat it in emergencies and in very tiny quantities. Or you'll spontaneously combust." She added at the end.

"Lovely." I said with a disgusted look on my face as I loaded the poison food into my bag. I had 7 changes of clothes, my iPod, earbuds, and charger, my phone, which was turned completely off and only to be used in emergencies, and a pair of sunglasses. I still couldn't shake the conversation I had with Mr. Norman, looking up at my aunt.

"Aunt Kelly… do you remember a Troy Flores?" I asked. Her expression immediately darkened; I could tell that he was a touchy subject for them.

"Yes… He was a very happy kid back before the Quest. He was one of my best friends; always making little playful snarky remarks; He always had such witty comebacks. After the quest, he was so… broken. He didn't eat, didn't sleep. He was a wreck. He kept telling us that the end was coming, and that we would all see the 'Bringer of Flames' destroy us all. We all tried so hard to get through to him… to bring the old Troy back, but one day, he just… vanished. For years we looked for him, trying to bring him back, but it was futile." She finished, clearly shaken up. After she regained her composure, she wiped her eyes, forcing a smile.

"You be careful, Toni. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." She insisted.

"Don't worry, Aunt Kelly. I'll be back before you know it." I promised, turning to my friends. Uncle Dan was waiting for us at the car, all of us throwing our bags in and heading off to the airport. As we drove, I wondered if any other demigods had started off their quests this way; being driven to their designated location by their uncle, accompanied by their mortal friends, but laughed it off. What are the odds of that? But most importantly, I thought about Troy, and what had happened to him. I couldn't but wonder what had happened to him to cause him to go off the deep end like he had. There had to be more to the story that I didn't know, and I somehow felt that the answers were closer than I thought. We arrived at the airport too soon for my taste. I wasn't sure I was really ready to take on my mother's quest, and was worried about failing her. My uncle said his goodbyes, R.J. calling his parents and telling them he had made it to the airport. Marie led us to the ticket booth, requesting our reserved seats. The lady behind the counter looked at us curiously, Marie smiling at her sweetly.

"I know what you're thinking; a couple of teens, getting plane tickets by themselves? But there's no need to worry; we are members of a traveling children's choir, right over there." She explained, pointing to a group of children all huddled together. That seemed to calm the lady's nerves as she handed us our tickets.

"Oh, well enjoy your flight." she said cheerfully. The moment we were out of earshot, R.J. bumped shoulders with Marie.

"Girl, you're good." he praised, Marie smiling widely.

"Oh, I know. I got the skills to pay the bills, boy!" She chuckled. After much more airport security, pat downs, and more security, we finally boarded our flight. I took the window seat, Marie sitting next to me and R.J. directly behind. After we got through safety procedures and were in the air, I pulled out my iPod, hitting play and resting my head back. It didn't take long for Marie to tap my shoulder, a curious look on her face.

"Hey Toni, can I ask you something?" She asked. I took out both earbuds and turned to face her.

"Shoot." I replied. She slowly reached down and gently pulled my iPod out of my hand.

"Why the sudden fascination with this?" She asked, holding it up for emphasis. I swallowed the dry lump forming in my throat… this would always be a tough subject to talk about.

"The, um… See, my mom would always tell me that today's music is nothing but synthesized, autotuned garbage, and that real, classic music was the only kind worth listening to. She was always listening to her old CDs and Cassettes, and it was kind of messy. So apparently, when my dad first met her, he wanted desperately to impress her, so he took all of her favorite songs and put them onto this iPod. For as long as I can remember, she always carried this with her, and would constantly listen to it with me; it was our thing, you know? Well the night she… the night of the explosion, she gave this to me, and told me that whenever the world gets me down, to listen to this instead." I explained. I picked up the earbuds, handing her one.

"Here, listen." I offered. She put in one earbud, and I put in the other. I scrolled through my songs, deciding on _Sweet Talkin' Woman_ by ELO. We sat there for a moment, both just taking it in, a small smile on Marie's face as she closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her.

"This is amazing. Your mom was awesome, Toni." She whispered. I nodded slowly, a single tear trailing down my cheek without me noticing. Marie slowly reached over and took my hand, squeezing it slightly. We listened to the whole song like that, honoring the memory of my mother. When the song finally drew to a close, Marie slipped her hand out of mine.

"Thanks for sharing, Toni." She said, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. I smirked playfully, wiping off the tear and leaning my chair way back, almost crushing a sleeping R.J.

"Anytime, Marie. Anytime." I replied, closing my eyes and soaking in the good vibes of the next song, _September_ by Earth, Wind, and Fire We arrived in Orlando without much incident, apart from R.J. screaming out loud in his sleep. We weren't far from the Institute, so we decided to hoof it there, and enjoy some Florida sunshine on the way. I was listening to _Walking on Sunshine_ by Katrina and the Waves, waiting to cross the street, when I saw 3 old ladies who looked to be about 1000 years old, knitting on a bench on the other side. One looked up as though she was expecting me, and gestured to come over with her bony finger. As soon as the sign flashed walk, I headed over, Marie and R.J. on my heels. My left hand started to buzz, my nerves on high alert for some reason.

"Um, hi. I noticed you wanted me to come over here… is there anything I can do for you?" I tried to ask kindly, but probably sounded more freaked out than anything.

 _It is unlikely you could do anything for us, child,_ A voice reverberated inside my mind. My eyes widened as I stared at the wrinkly old women.

 _Are you inside my head?_ I thought

 _We are the Morai, keepers of fate. There are some things you must know, Antonio Rodriguez._ A gravelly voice began, _Many trials will come to pass for you and your friends. The Spartans will once again stand in defense against a great peril. Time cries out in indignation against its own manipulation. The puppets are in place, the puppeteer masterfully pulls the strings with promises of heart's desires. Pieces scattered across the globe, reunited will begin the end, the world will fall under the power of the resurrected one, power changing him into a monster._ They whispered inside my mind. Spartans, Peril, Puppets… none of this made any sense. I was jerked back into reality, R.J. tapping my shoulder rapidly.


	10. Chapter 8

_**R.J. POV**_

"Bro, 2319! We've got a situation!" I cried, my voice an octave higher than normal. Marie's hand was on my shoulder, which meant that I could see the snake-like, horned monster crawling up the street. Her skin was warm, and I could feel it through my thin t-shirt, though I tried not to make a big deal of it; the last thing we wanted was to have it get awkward again… I mean, things were already awkward enough.

"What is that supposed to-" Toni asked with confusion, furrowing his brows until I gestured for him to turn around.  
"Oh. That situation." he deadpanned, activating his shield. Even though I had already seen the thing, it was still a sight to behold as the disc seemed to magically grow out of the tiny bracelet. Magic, monsters, and superpower…. what kind of craziness did I just get myself into? As I watched my new best friend tangle with what looked to be a giant snake monster with goat horns and a bad attitude, I could tell that he was already getting winded. His form was completely wrong for the kind of weapon he was wielding… I honestly didn't even know what he was thinking. Being the complete comic book nerd that I am, I couldn't help but think of Captain America, regardless of the terrible timing.

I'm glad I did because the seeds of an idea had been planted as I tried to get Toni's attention, waving my arms around like a lunatic, a lady scoffing and looking at me like I was crazy as she jogged by. For a moment, Marie's hand was knocked off my shoulder as I tried to get Toni's attention, and my vision flashed with the snake replaced with a large truck, Toni repeatedly smashing it with a paper plate; no wonder the lady thought we were crazy. Marie sighed, placing her hand back on my shoulder as she reluctantly joined my bid to get Toni to even _look_ in our direction.

"Dude! Captain America!" I yelled when I finally got Toni's half-distracted attention, mimicking Captain America's shield-throwing motion. I was fairly surprised my message got across to him at all as he yanked his shield off of his armguard. Being the inventor that I am, I couldn't help but wonder how in the world the shield seemed to just disconnect from his arm, my mind briefly beginning to think about logistics and what it would take for the 4 inch long gauntlets to be able to support the weight of the large disc while it still allowing for detachability. Of course, I'm in the middle of a monster attack, and _that's_ what I think about.

No wonder Marie seemed to be in love with Toni; I used to be a total dork compared to him. And he was the one that was actually fighting, not just standing there and have to have, someone holding his shoulder so that he could even _see_ the Hydr- I mean enemies. I really have to stop binge-watching Marvel movies.

But back to the fight. As if to prove my Captain America theory, Toni launched his shield at the creature at high velocity, nailing it directly between the eyes. It bounced off its head, careening back towards him much too quickly, and before I could even attempt to warn him, it slammed back onto the armguard, rocketing Toni straight off my feet and onto his back. As the creature struggled to shake off the blow to the head, Toni jumped back up, seemingly undaunted by the blow. He yanked the shield off and tossed it once again, nailing the creature right below its head.

This time, when the shield came back, Toni swung his arm towards it confidently, his armguard "catching" it out of mid-air with a resounding clank. He suddenly appeared in front of the dazed creature, smashing the shield into its face, sending the dog-sized reptile flying across the park. The creature slowly got up, steadying itself, and eyeing Toni as though trying to figure out if he was really worth the trouble. It suddenly snapped at him, its razor-sharp fangs narrowly missing his left arm as he was able to speed dodge out of the way so quickly I could barely even see him, my heart racing in my throat as worry for Toni twisted my stomach.

Toni himself somersaulted off to the side and slammed the edge of his shield into its neck, earning a sickening crack as Toni grinned oddly, seemingly unperturbed at the fact that his literal _life_ was in danger. The wounded creature decided that it had had enough of the little scuffle as it slithered off, disappearing into some bushes. Toni pressed the lambda on the front of his shield, cooly walking over as his shield shrunk back down, his body language screaming, _Yeah, I just fought off a giant snake monster… so what?_

"Well, that was… interesting." He huffed, clearly out of breath as he finally made it back over to where we were standing

Something occurred to me as I tried to ignore the brief flash of jealousy in my gut, looking at Marie in confusion. "Hey, how come I could only see the giant snake thing when you had your hand on my shoulder?" I asked. She shrugged as we tried to get out of there before any angry dog lovers could turn any of our faces into mush.

"I guess I can let mortals see what I see… I honestly didn't know I could do that." She admitted, looking down at her hand. I smiled with uncertainty before turning to Toni, noticing that he looked as though he was expected someone to say… _something_ about what had just occurred. And I felt bad that Marie and I brushed it off; it was like Captain America had come to life, except 1000% cooler.

"Did you see that back there? That was awesome! The way you threw that shield, bro…magnificent!" I gestured, waving my arms wildly as I mimicked throwing a frisbee; or, in this case, Toni's shield.

"Didn't feel magnificent. Where are we heading, anyway? I'd prefer to get there before we get ambushed again." He admitted, obviously more shaken by the experience than I had initially thought. Marie looked over at him, obviously confused.

"What was up with you and those old ladies? You were just standing there, staring at them." She asked. My mind whirred when I remembered the three old bats that had been sitting on the side of the road, the ones Toni had been staring at for at least a minute. In all the action, I'd completely forgot about that. Toni let out a deep breath, looking as though someone had dropped a load of bricks on him.

"I can't really say for sure… something about 'puppets' and 'peril'... 'dark forces' and 'pieces of something'..." He explained. I was yet again struck by just how different and awesome Toni's life was; I mean, sure the whole being attacked by bloodthirsty monsters thing was a bit of a drawback, but still; the way he could talk about stuff like 'peril' and 'dark forces' and not show the smallest sign of freaking out… I couldn't understand it. He was _living_ the adventure most people only see in the movies and acted like it was no big deal.

"So real end of the world type stuff, huh?" I asked, looking up from my phone's screen at the name of the street we were on, trying to figure out the distance to Dr. Gnosa's office.

"You know, my aunt told me it's a bad idea to use cell phones around me." He said out of the blue, and I couldn't help but scoff. I may not be able to fight monsters and look cool in leather jackets, but there was no way that anything was going to hack _my_ phone or use it to find and hurt my friends. It was just impossible, seeing as how it was probably safer than the President's own phone. I mean, come _on._ What, did he think the handless snake monster was going to whip out it's tracking device and come follow us?

"Please. My phone is encrypted with enough firewalls to keep out China, Russia, and the USA. Nobody's going to track us using this. I can encrypt yours if you want?" I offered, gesturing to Toni's everpresent iPod; I wasn't even sure how it was different from my phone, but hey, I wasn't going to push my luck and ask him about that. There was way too much baggage with that thing.

"Nah, it's good," Toni said vaguely, "it apparently only applies to devices that you can talk into. They can track your voice or something. And this is probably the oldest iPod known to mankind. I can barely even make the buttons still work."

After Toni's statement, we all lapsed into silence, walking down the street until Marie's voice finally broke the quietness.

"We're here." All three of us gazed upon the magnificent building that was the Orlando Swiss School of Archeology. It's architecture resembled that of a church, with its dark grey brickwork and tall spires that arose from all corners. We made our way inside, heading to the front office.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked, smiling sweetly at us.

"Uh, yeah. I'm here to see a Dr. Gnosa." Toni informed. She pointed to an elevator down the hall.

"Take the elevator to the 5th floor. Dr. Gnosa's office is the 3rd door on the right." She explained. We headed up to the 5th floor, and sure enough, the 3rd door said 'Dr. D Gnosa'. I lightly knocked on the door, an older man's voice ringing out in response.

"Open, come in." He had a very heavy accent I couldn't place, and looked like your typical college professor; late 30's, thinning grey hair, glasses resting on the edge of his nose. Heck, he was wearing a plaid vest over top of a collar shirt and tie, tan khakis tying the whole outfit together. He looked up from his book confusedly.

"I'm sorry, but I am not taking appointments at the time, please speak to the receptionist if you would like-"

"Dr. Gnosa, I was told to find you by my mom, she said she knew you from camp," Toni explained, the man's expression changing almost instantly.

"Camp? Who exactly is your mother, young man?" He asked, now looking at Toni with extreme curiosity.

"Laura Rodriguez, sir." I could barely make out Toni's answer. I could tell by his body language that mentioning his mother still wasn't easy for Toni. He reached into his pocket, clutching his beloved iPod furiously as he answered

"Laura Beth. Yes, we were very good friends back in our Camp days. Then you must be Antonio! My, you have grown up to be quite the strapping young man! And you look so much like your mother; how is she these days?" The professor asked excitedly. Toni looked like he had been run over by a semi, his face contorted with pain and grief. For a moment, I thought he was going to lose it, but somehow he remained at least semi-calm.

"She's… gone." He finally choked out, looking like the very words cut him as he spoke. Dr. Gnosa's expression hardened.

"Oh. I'm so sorry, Antonio. What happened?" He asked, Toni, going through the whole story of the explosion, the monster, the man in the mask, and finally how we had ended up there.

"And she told me to tell you something… a code phrase…" He added, pulled out a crumpled piece of scrap paper.

" 'Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die'." He read. The professor looked like he was going to be sick when Toni finished reading the little poem, much to my confusion. I mean, I'm not a big fan of poetry either, but I knew there had to be some importance about this specific verse.

"Into the valley of death rode the 600." Dr. Gnosa finished. "Charge of the Light Brigade, by Alfred Lord Tennyson. One of my favorite poems… also the code phrase for the location of-"

"The Celeritas. The man in the mask seems to want this thing pretty badly." Toni confirmed.

"Any idea what this thing actually is?" I couldn't help but ask, my curiosity getting the better of me. Dr. Gnosa already walking over to the bookshelf behind us, which was chalked full of science and history textbooks and references. He pulled down a few books, revealing a hand-scanning device. He scanned his prints, then typed in a 6-digit code. The entire bookshelf hissed, splitting into halves and sliding out of the way, revealing what looked to be an all-white panic room that gave me flashbacks of Men in Black 3, full of golden and bronze swords, knives, and just about every other kind of weapon with a sharp edge. In the middle of the room sat a safe.

"Wow. Someone's ready for the Apocalypse." I commented, trying to clear the thick unease in the air.

"If this Celeritas were to fall into the wrong hands, that is exactly what we would have." The doctor responded seriously. "As for your question, Mr…" The doctor looked up at me. It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

"Oh, um R.J.," I informed. He nodded what I guessed was a greeting, then continued.

"Well, Mr. R.J., the answer to your question is Yes and No. When the Celeritas was brought to camp, no one was allowed to go anywhere near it; not even us Athena kids. It was extremely dangerous and powerful. Many lost quite a few good friends and family members retrieving it. It was locked inside the Hera cabin until a suitable hiding place was found, under constant guard by Apollo and Artemis until then. No one but those on the quest and the gods themselves bore witness to the Celeritas. Your mother was the one who decided upon the final resting place of the Celeritas, having it erased from her memory afterward. However, before she had her memory erased, she hid clues to the location of the Celeritas with the four demigods who retrieved it. I was in charge of keeping their identities and locations a secret." He finished, pulling a manila folder out of the safe, handing it to Toni.

"Their names and locations. Even I have never seen this, Antonio; be careful. Many beings would do anything to know the location of the Celeritas." He explained. I opened the folder revealing a plain piece of notebook paper, with four names and addresses. I put it back in the folder, then place the folder into a secret pocket in my bookbag. I felt like I was putting a bomb back there, I was so nervous. He grabbed two daggers, handing one to Marie and one to me. It looked like a prop straight out of a Greek movie; it was a medium length bronze dagger with a leather-wrapped handle, complete with a neat little sheath that could be attached to one's waistband.

"I noticed you didn't have a weapon on you; it's not safe to walk around unarmed. And here." He handed Marie a tiny black velvet bag and golden Visa card that looked like it had a picture of Zeus throwing a lightning bolt on the front.

"Zeus gave this to me many years ago, to fuel my research. I want you to have it. It can buy you anything you need; plane tickets, food, hotel… you name it." He explained, then pointed to the baggie.

"And these drachmae; useful for non-mortal transactions." I looked over at Toni, who for the first time since this whole thing began looked like reality was finally hitting him all at once; he honestly looked like he was about to have a panic attack, and trust me; like a kid who regularly experiences them, I know what I'm talking about. The good doctor must have seen the same thing I did because he forced himself to smile at Toni confidently.

"Don't worry, Toni. You'll be fine. So long as you lay low and go quickly, there shouldn't be any problems." He promised.

"That's what they always say, Mr. Rodriguez." A familiar robotic voice spoke from the shadows. The man in the mask stepped into the light, this hands held behind his back, giving off serious creepy emperor vibes.

"They'll tell you whatever you want to hear; that you'll be fine, that there's nothing to worry about. That everyone will return safe and sound. But we both know that isn't true; don't we, Doctor?" He turned his gaze towards the doctor, seeming to just… appear in front of him, hoisting him into the air with one arm. I backed up a few steps, already feeling the terror rising in my gut.

"Mr. Rodriguez; I want to know exactly what he told you." Melpos said calmly.

"Don't… tell him.. Anythi-" The Dr. choked, Melpos tightening his grip.

"Tell me, or he dies." Melpos explained. I could see his eyes narrow through the tiny eye-slits in the mask. This guy wasn't playing any games, and I could tell Toni knew it too.

"Okay! He… he gave me a list of names." Toni finally broke down. Melpos held out his other hand.

"The list, Mr. Rodriguez. Now." He demanded. Toni slowly reached into his bag, opening the secret pocket., and hesitantly pulling out the folder. I couldn't believe that after all the doctor had told us, all the awful things he told us that the Celeritas could do in the wrong hands…. how could Toni even think of giving it up to a psychopath like this guy? Then again, I wasn't exactly full of alternative ideas, so all I could do is watch as Toni slowly made his way towards Melpos.

"Antonio.. don't!" Dr. Gnosa cried.

"Don't worry, Dr. Gnosa… everything is going to be fine." Toni promised, nodding to the doctor, who defeatedly nodded in return. Toni hesitated for a brief moment, then handed the folder to the masked maniac. Melpos dropped Dr. Gnosa, looking down at the list like it was the holy grail. Just before he opened it up, I finally snapped. I couldn't just let this guy waltz in here and actually get away with a superweapon! I picked up a nearby chair and smashed it into him as hard as I could, surprised when I saw him flying into the vault room, The doctor pressed a button on his watch, the doors closing on him tightly.

"Do you have the list?" He asked Toni, who showed him the real documents. Realization suddenly struck; Toni never intended to give Melpos the real list!

"The ol' switcheroo. A classic!" I jokingly laughed, feeling the tension melt from my shoulders as Toni shot me his classic bad-boy smirk.

"Then get out of here, now! I'm not sure how long those doors will hold him. Good luck, and stay safe; all of you." Dr. Gnosa commanded. We rushed out of his office, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and running out the front door. We put some space between us and the school, and while we were walking, Marie grabbed a frantic Toni by the shoulder, pointing to a coffee shop.

"Let's stop there and take a look at this list." She advised. We walked in and had a seat, all 3 of us winded from the experience. After a few moments, we all ordered something to drink. Toni got a Mocha, Marie a latte, and I got himself a Chai Tea. I'm not really much of a coffee drinker, and after all that went down, I knew that the last thing I needed was caffeine. After settling down, Toni pulled out the list, his hand literally vibrating so fast that it hummed. He gripped his wrist and closed his eyes tightly. After a moment, the shaking subsided, and he was able to actually open the list.

"Ok, guys; here's what we've got." Toni whispered, leaning closer so that no one could overhear.

"There are 4 names on this list; and are spread out in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Summit- North Dakota, and New York- New York. I say that we could catch a train to Georgia, then head to Los Angeles, and from there we hit Summit and finally the Big Apple." Toni proposed, leaning back and taking a sip of his Mocha.

"Sure, why not? Travel the country, see a few sights, get attacked by more crazy guys in masks… sounds great." I griped. I didn't mean to be such a bummer, but… come on! I'm just a normal, non-superpowered teen; not some monster slaying speed demon! Toni pat me on the back, my antics obviously lightening his mood.

"See? That's the spirit! Where is the nearest train station to us?" He questioned. I was instantly on it, whipping out my phone and typing it into my search engine. It didn't take long for a result to pop up.

"There's a station about a mile from here… a passenger train riding all the way to Atlanta. If I could just borrow the magic credit card for a moment…" I half-asked, grabbing the card from Toni's bag before he could say no. After a few moments, I leaned back, showing the other my screen.

"Done and done. We are booked on the next train to Atlanta. It leaves in about 2 hours, so we'd better get going if we want to make it there in time." I suggested. We all headed out the door and began the hike towards the train station.

"You know, with how far away from home we are, it really makes you wonder how the creepy mask guy keeps popping up everywhere we go." I commented, Marie, voicing her agreement.

"He's got to be tracking our movement somehow… maybe he's got people tracking us or something." She looked around suspiciously. Our walk to the train station was really quite, Toni looking like he was trying to figure out the secrets of the universe in his head. It didn't get much better after we boarded our train, so I decided to get to relieve some stress; I opened my bag, pulling out some stray parts and pieces, a mental blueprint already forming in my mind as I pulled out the required tools; my welding pen, a screwdriver, and my metal file, and got to work. After a few moments, I couldn't take it any longer, looking over at Toni, who had not moved an inch since we boarded.

"Hey, man; you look like you've got a lot on your mind." I commented. Toni chuckled, rolling his eyes, like 'understatement of the year'.

"Yeah, you could say that. I was just thinking about this ancient artifact-weapon. Why even build it in the first place?" He asked. I smiled, turning my attention back to my work as I spoke.

"Out of all the crazy, wild, out of this world things you could have asked me, that is the one question I might actually be able to answer." I said, screwing two pieces together, making sure they were nice and tight. "You see, that's the thing about inventors; we invent because we love inventing. Many a time I have asked myself the same question; why am I even trying to make this? I mean, the odds of success are usually astronomically low, and there are so many variables to plan for, and even more, that can never be expected, but the point is that sometimes, we make things for no other reason than to simply prove we can. To prove that it can be done." I screwed in a final screw, handing Toni a tiny box.

"I call it the Demigod hand-grenade. I took some shavings off of one of the knives the old guy gave us, sharpened them with my welding pen and voila! Press the tiny button on the top, and toss that sucker as far as you can. It goes boom, shrapnel takes out the monsters, R.J. is a hero." I stated triumphantly, pleased with the final result. Even Toni, the guy who could probably outrun a bullet, looked impressed.

"Wait until you see what else I'm cooking up over here!" I couldn't help but add, going back to my work. After a while, I looked back over to see Toni listening to his music, a peaceful look on his face as he got some sleep. Marie was sitting to my other side, fascinated by what I was doing to the point where she wasn't even paying attention to my little chat with Toni.

"So… you made a grenade?" She asked. I nodded in affirmation.

"On a train?" She continued. I nodded a little more slowly this time, starting to get a bit confused as to where she was going with this.

"With nothing but a bookbag full of scraps?" She finished.

"Um…. yeah? How did you _not_ know I was an inventor? I showed you my shop… multiple time!" I asked, genuinely confused. Confusion was instantly replaced by extreme nervousness as Marie leaned her head on my shoulder and sighed.

"I just didn't know you were so good at it. I'm impressed, Mr. Porter." She smiled up at me. I couldn't help but stare into her deep, emerald eyes, completely entranced. As far as I was concerned, she was the most beautiful creature on the planet… not that I could _ever_ bring myself to say anything like that to her. She stared right back at me, until I cleared my throat, trying desperately to fight the heat rising in my cheeks as I turned back to my parts, trying to remember what I was doing.

"Well, you know… I pull stuff apart all the time and after a while you kind of just start picking up on how stuff works." I explained way more nervously then I intended. I began trying to explain the primitive propulsion system that I have equipped the grenade with, and how the shards were micro sharpened with my welding pen. When I finally worked up the courage to look over at her, she was already fast asleep, her head still resting on my shoulder as she curled up in her seat.

"Aaand you bored her to sleep. Smooth, R.J. … no wonder she's throwing herself at you." I whispered sarcastically, slowly leaning back my seat until it was level with hers. As tense as I was, I was equally as exhausted, and it wasn't long before I too drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 9

I woke up to the sound of the train's brakes squealing in my ears. I must have been out for quite a long time, because my wrist was stiff from holding up my head. I looked over to see the others had fallen asleep as well. I shook them both awake.

"Guys, we're here." I informed. Both of them either groaned or yawned, grabbing their stuff and shuffling out of the boxcar. I pulled out the list, reading off the first name.

"Ok; Liam Dyer. Current address is 1625 Dover Lane, but it says he works at Carter's School of the Arts." I read. R.J. cracked his neck, stretching out.

"What's with all these demigod teachers?" He asked. Marie just stared at him blankly.

"Could you imagine going through what we just did in the past 24 hours, and living your whole life like that? I'm pretty sure that boring is a welcome change for these guys, and it doesn't get much more boring than being a teacher."

"This is true." R.J. conceded. After some research, we found that the School of Arts was not too far from where we were, so we grabbed a cab and told the driver where to go. For a place in the rural state of Georgia, it was exactly like your typical big city. People walking up and down the sidewalks, neon signs, giant posters and billboards; it had it all. It wasn't too long before the driver pulled over, Marie swiping the Zeus card and the car squealing off down the road.

The School of Arts was quite similar to the place we met Dr. Gnosa at; grandiose architecture, arcs everywhere they could possibly fit. Unlike the previous school, however, this one had students walking back and forth, and gave off a vibrant, lively feel. We made our way to the front office, asking for Mr. Dyer.

We were directed to the concert hall, where his band was apparently getting ready for a performance that night. He wasn't too hard to spot; his black tuxedo tail waving around as he conducted the orchestra with grace and precision. We took seats in the back, just listening to the music vibrate off of the dome ceiling. When it was finished, he dismissed the band for a short break, noticing us in the back, and motioning us forwards.

"Welcome, welcome! You're a bit early, but that is quite alright. I love the enthusiasm! Though, you look a bit young to be transfering from college…" He seemed to just notice our age.

"Mr. Liam Dyer?" I asked, the man bowing illustriously.

"At your service." He affirmed.

"I'm not here about a transfer. My name is Antonio Rodriguez, and I believe my mother tasked you with guarding a piece of the location of the Celeritas." I stated bluntly. Just like Dr. Gnosa, Mr. Dyer's expression instantly sobered as he ushered us behind the curtain.

"Laura Rodriguez is your mother, I presume?" He asked.

"Yes, sir."

"... and would you happen to have any proof of this?" He asked. I thought it over for a moment, before pulling out a picture of my mom and I that I kept in my secret pocket along with the list. I had packed it away before we even began this quest, but forced myself not to get it out, too worried I wouldn't be able to keep it together.

"She also told me a code phrase; Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why-"

"Theirs but to do and die. A true demigod to the end." He finished, looking at the picture with fondness and sorrow.

"Terribly sorry about that, Antonio; you can never be too careful. If your mother sent you after us, I assume that means that she's…" He asked as gently as possible. I answered with a simple nod. "Then I am truly sorry. Your mother was an amazing woman, and even greater friend. We're related, you know? Your grandfather was a son of Apollo as well! But enough chatter." He said, reaching around his neck and handing me a necklace. It looked to be a round, smooth translucent blue stone with a tiny hole drilled in the middle. I must have looked completely lost, because Mr. Dyer laughed and pulled a laser pointer out of his pocket and dimmed the lights.

"Here, watch this." he explained. He placed the tip of the laser pointer right on the hole, shining it through. The beam passed straight through the hole, causing what looked to be a portion of a map to project onto the wall.

"Pretty cool, huh? It was your mom's idea; that way, we could each keep our piece of the map with us at all times. Your mother truly was a one of a kind genius." He praised before flipping the lights back on. He slowly handed me the necklace, like it would explode if not handled with care.

"I've been guarding this thing for over 15 years… try to keep it out of the wrong hands?" He asked.

"I will. When we re-hide the Celeritas, I will let you know." I promised. He smiled down at me, ruffling my spikey, black hair.

"So much like your mother. You take care of yourself, Antonio." He said, walking through the curtain and clapping his hands.

"Alright, people; Let's go! If anyone is late, we'll have to resume without them!" He yelled at his students. We made our way out of the building through the back door. I strapped the necklace around my neck, tucking it under my shirt. I felt as though I had just hung an anvil around my neck, knowing the great responsibility I now carried. R.J. looked around, as though he was expecting to get struck by lightning.

"Huh. You know, I was half expecting there to be some kind of 3 headed dragon that shoots fire out of its butt waiting to rip us in half." He admitted. Down the street a ways, we heard what sounded like a lion roar. R.J. cringed, the 3 of us slowly turning to see what appeared to be a giant, humanoid, one-horned Triceratops glaring right at us with bloodlust in it's eyes. Marie touched R.J.'s shoulder so he could get a good view of what they were up against. I slapped my wristband, my shield already beginning to take shape as R.J. groaned.

"Why… why me? Of all the humans in all the world… why _me_?" he complained. I looked over at the 2 as I started off down the street.

"Get these people out of the streets! This thing doesn't exactly look like it's going to watch where it steps!" I yelled before zooming down the street to face the creature. It was about 8 feet tall, and had the body build of a professional football player, all wrapped in the tough hide of a dinosaur. I looked up at it, swallowing dryly.

"Whoa… you are a…. Big boy." I commented, trying to lighten the mood. Either the creature didn't understand me or didn't appreciate my humor because it roared and stomped at me. I was barely able to get out of the way of its mammoth foot before it crashed into the pavement, cracking it like porcelain pottery.

"Ok, so I guess hugging this out is out of the question?" I asked. It swung its arm down at me, my battle instincts taking over as I leapt over its tree trunk arm and vaulted my shield into its head. It staggered backwards ever so slightly, almost completely unfazed by the blow.

"Oh, come on, man. Work with me here!" I cried, dodging another strike. By then, mass chaos had broken out, people running for their lives and screaming about an escaped inmate or something. Down the street, a semi-truck came barreling towards us. My head whipped back around to the creature, locking eyes with it, realising its intentions.

"Don't…" I warned, but the creature could care less about my idle threats. It planted it's massive feet, catching the semi and vaulting it over it's head at me. Time slowed down as I surveyed the possible damage. I put in my earbuds, cracking my knuckles, a smirk plastered on my face as _Don't Stop Til You Get Enough_ by Michael Jackson blasted into my ear as I took my leather racer off. I've had that thing since I can remember; the only gift my dad ever gave me. It tailors itself to the wearer, never growing too big or being too small. I really didn't want to tear it up. I hung it over a nearby USPS mailbox, then ran and jumped off of the hood of a nearby taxi, grabbing the mirror of the semi and swinging myself into the air, landing on the front. For some reason, when I'm in a "time freeze", I am way more agile. I laughed when I saw the driver's face; His cheeks were frozen as they flapped around, his coffee hanging in the air. I reached through the still shattering glass, unbuckling his seat belt and yanking him out of the car. The man was probably about 250 pounds, but felt like nothing at all… another perk of the time freeze. I rushed him over to the sidewalk, setting him down before bolting back over and looking around. An old lady with her walker was frozen on the crosswalk. I moved her next to the trucker, returning to the scene. I spotted a family of 4 in a minivan that had been driving towards the beast. The father had a death-grip on the wheel, his face frozen in horror at the oncoming vehicle. I tried to grab him first, but I couldn't get his hand free of the wheel without breaking his fingers, so I elected to yank the wheel off completely. He joined the others on the sidewalk, along with his kids and wife. Time was slowly moving forwards more rapidly, the semi inching closer to the ground. I made sure everyone was out of any vehicles in the path of the truck, thinking my work was done. At the last moment, I saw a flaming piece of the truck come flying off, moving quite a bit faster than anything else. I tracked its trajectory with my eyes, horrified when I realised it was on a collision course with a little girl who looked to be around 5 years old, who was standing in the street watching the whole event unfold. Her mother was frozen rushing towards her. Time was speeding up even more as I lost concentration, a bead of sweat trailing down my brow as I felt myself reach my limit. I rushed over to the child, throwing my shield out in front of us just as I completely ran out of juice, the flying object crashing into us and sending both of us vaulting backwards. I managed to get under her just as we hit the ground, scrapping my back but shielding her from the blow. My adrenaline dulled the pain as I knelt next to her, placing my hands on the girls shoulders.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, checking her over to make sure she was alright. Aside from being completely scared out of her mind, she seemed otherwise ok. Her mother rushed over, scooping the girl up in her arms. She looked over at me with admiration and relief.

"Thank you…. Thank you!" She cried.

"No problem! Get out of here while you can!" I yelled, the young mother obeying. I reached around and felt my back, my hand covered in my blood. Street burn. Terrific. I stood up slowly, the pain starting to seriously surface. The semi had already crashed into the ground, smashing all of the cars in its way as it careened into the side of a nearby building. I regained my composure, speeding back over to the dino-man. I quickly scanned my surroundings, spotting a telephone pole across the street.

"Ok, big guy. I see you want to play rough. Let's dance." I sped over to the pole, standing right in front of it.

"Oh, come on ugly! Is that the best you've got for me?" I taunted. It clearly understood that remark, bellowing out and swinging at me with violence and ferocity. Time slowed around me as I dodged the blow, the pole crashing down into the creature's head. I picked up the fallen wire, running around it at mach speeds, tying it up tightly. When I was done, I had myself a nice little captive monster. Marie and R.J. finally caught up, huffing from the jog

"Hey, everyone's clear. Oh wow… nice." She complimented. I held my hand out, Marie placing her blade in it. I ran up the creature, jumping into the air and stabbing the blade into its chest as hard as I could, the monster poofing into dust right there. I landed on the ground, brushing myself off.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this…" I whispered, limping slightly as I walked back over to my friends.


	12. Chapter 10

_**Toni POV**_

"Dude, check it out!" R.J. pointed to where the monster had been. In the midst of the dust, I saw what appeared to be a sword fashioned out of the remaining horn of the creature. One edge had been sharpened like a razor, and the other end was shaped and sculpted into a makeshift handle, wrapped in leather. Symbols and markings ran the length of the blade, making it look almost tribalistic, especially with its matching leather sheath.

"That is one freakin sick sword." R.J. whispered. I flipped it around, holding the handle out towards him, sheath and all. He looked at me like a 6 year old getting a puppy on Christmas.

"No… no I couldn't, dude. You're the one that slayed the thing!" He tried to refuse. I rolled my eyes, placing it in his hand.

"Hey, this shield and I have a good thing going here; I wouldn't want to make her jealous." I smirked. He slowly took the sword from my hands, slinging the sheath strap across his chest.

"Thanks, man. This is so awesome! I mean, the whole 'you almost dying' ordeal is a bit over the top, but, I mean, come on; It's a dinosaur horn sword!" He cried out happily. He seemed to just notice my bleeding back, because his eyes grew wide. Marie noticed too, coming over and pulling my shirt up to look at it much to my protest.

"Oh gosh… when did this happen?" She asked.

"When I…. caught that one girl… Had to make sure this didn't happen to her." I explained, knowing full well I would be fine, as I could feel myself rapidly healing. Apparently, it isn't too pleasant to watch, because R.J. looked like he was about to hurl when he stepped away for a moment. I felt the wound close up completely, yanking my bloodied shirt back down to cover my back.

"My bodies recovery system is just as fast as the rest of me, yeah." I explained briefly, leaving it at that. We decided it was best if we split the scene before the cops arrived, heading towards the nearest airport. Apart from the adrenaline still making my foot bounce so quickly it hummed audibly, I felt pretty good about myself. We bought our tickets at the airport, R.J. commenting that if the card really was unlimited, he had a "tiny" Amazon wish list he'd like to purchase. He called his parents, telling them everything was fine, letting them talk to Marie, who explained her parents had just left for another meeting. After she hung up, she leaned her head back, sighing deeply.

"So, Marie; you never did tell me where exactly your parents work?" I asked, trying to make conversation as we waited for our flight. She slumped down in her seat a bit, clearly not liking the topic.

"They are lawyers for our cousin's company, Dare Enterprises." She said 'Dare Enterprises' like one would say the name of a school bully or a hated congressman.

"You don't sound too thrilled." I commented. Marie flipped her hair, looking at me with disgust.

"Yeah, well when your parents make tons of money defending people who made their fortunes by kicking people out of their homes to buy up the land, you don't exactly enjoy talking about it." She spat, instantly sighing.

"I'm sorry. It's just… How could they? How could anyone ruin people's lives and not feel anything about it? Oh, they claim that the people weren't paying their rent, or that they had it coming, but it's all just to make them feel better about the fact that they are destroying homes to build mini-malls so they can cash in and make their 6 figures." She asked. I could tell that she felt somehow part of this was her fault. R.J. jumped in, placing a tentative hand on top of hers.

"Marie, how many times do I have to tell you; your parents aren't you. You are what you choose to be, not what you think others make you. You are an amazing, beautiful person inside and out. You're going to change the world someday." He promised, turning a bit red and removing his hand when he realized what he had done. It definitely cheered Marie up, a tiny smile in place of the disgust.

"Thanks, R.J.; that's really sweet." She hugged him from her seat. He coughed and stood still as a statue, save scratching the back of his hand awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah… sure. Anytime" He tried to sound cool, but just came off extremely nervous. I looked back and forth between the 2, seeing very clearly what was going on. Before I could comment, our flight to Los Angeles was announced, a mass exodus of people heading towards the same flight. As Marie led the way, I hung back with R.J., slinging my arm over his shoulder with a grin.

"You know, if you've got the pickup line, I've got a song that would be just perf-" He elbowed me in the gut, picking up the pace and shaking his head, clearly embarrassed. I put on my headphones, catching up and selecting " _You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine"_ by Lou Rawls, singing along right behind him. If it were at all possible for him to turn more red, he definitely did when Marie turned and raised an eyebrow at us.

I was standing right behind R.J., gesturing between him and her as I sang, Marie catching on and also doing her best impression of a tomato as she whipped back around. I burst out laughing, getting a few sideways looks from passersby as I listened to the rest of the song in silence. I again took the window seat, this time all three of us getting the same row. It was a pretty long flight, so I took the time to catch up on some more much needed rest. We even ordered full meals, all three of us electing to get the classic burger and fries, talking quietly while we ate.

"So, if this thing is so powerful, why don't the gods just take it?" R.J. questioned. I shrugged, but Marie looked over at him rolling her eyes.

"Ever read Homer's Odyssey? The gods can't agree on anything! I bet there'd be a massive war over who gets to keep it in their possession." She explained. It made sense, any weapon of that power would certainly cause argument.

"Ok, but answer this; why not just destroy the thing? Then no one ever gets their hands on it and problem solved." R.J. countered, before looking over at me, astonished. I had ordered 5 burgers and orders of fries, and a large Coke, and was already on the last burger. R.J. tapped Marie, pointing at the 'horrific' sight. I glanced between the 2, honestly thinking I had done something wrong.

"What? Do I…. do I have something on my face?" I asked, using the reflection in the window.

"How could anyone consume so much food?!" Marie cried, pointing to the pile of burger wrappers. I ate some more fries, relieved that was all that was wrong.

"Ok, so have you seen me run?" I asked, both nodding. "And have you ever stopped to consider how many calories I burn through because of this?" They seemed to catch on, both looking surprised.

"Dude… what is the max amount you can consume?" R.J. asked. I scratched my chin in thought, Marie scoffing and murmuring 'boys' under her breath.

"I don't really know… I've never actually eaten until I was stuffed." I admitted, glugging down my Coke. R.J. fiddled with his seat, finally finding a comfortable position… just as the pilot announced we were beginning our descent. We made our way out of the airport, stopping to look at our list.

"Ok… Charles Bradley, 792 Manchester Drive, Apartment B28." I read, putting it back into my bag, hailing a taxi. I gave the guy the location, and when we arrived, I was honestly surprised. It was just another typical apartment building, not at all where you would expect to find a demigod with a potential piece to a doomsday device. We made our way up through the rundown complex, finally landing at B28. I knocked lightly, hearing someone rustling around, a young woman opening the door, her baby on her hip.

"Um, hi. We're looking for a Mr. Bradley?" I asked. The lady laughed and shook her head.

"Sorry, but Charlie got evicted a few weeks ago. I used to live next door before he got kicked out… at least the hot water in here works. Hey, try down at the old abandoned truck stop down the street. I thought I saw him hanging around there." She offered. We thanked her, and headed down the street to the building. All of the windows were boarded up, grass and weeds growing in the cracks of the sidewalk. We made our way to the back, and noticed a slight crack in the door. I pushed it open slowly, the door creaking loudly as I did. In the middle of the room, a man at at the dusty counter, fast food wrappers and cups littering the place. He looked to be about the same age as Mom, but was definitely not taking very good care of himself, his gut protruding out from under a greasy, dirty wife beater tank top.

"Mr. Bradley?" I asked.

"Leave me alone, kid. I ain't in the mood for your pranks." He groaned. His voice was low and gravelly, and sounded like perhaps at one point he smoked.

"My name is Antonio Rodriguez. My mom sent me to find you." I explained. He perked up, actually taking the time to look at me.

"Laura? Your Laura's kid? Wow… time flies. I suppose your here for the necklace, eh? Here; take it." He tossed the necklace at me. It looked identical to the 1st, except this one was red, and had 2 hash marks across the front. I strapped it around my neck with the first, looking over at the man. He was staring at a faded picture; the same one Mr. Norman had on his desk. I looked over the photo, spotting Mr. Dyer, still trying to find Mr. Bradley. It took me a moment to realize that the giant mound of muscles in the back was indeed Mr. Bradley. He smirked a bit and nodded, pointing to the kid.

"Yep, that's me. Ares kids are always big, always acting so tough." He remarked. I pointed to the girl besides him. They were holding hands and smiling, looking like the happiest couple in the world. She had blonde hair and deep blue eyes, staring up at Mr. Bradley with love and affection.

"Who's that?" I asked, instantly feeling guilty as the man deflated.

"That's… that's Kate. She was my everything." He tried to hold back the emotion. Marie placed a hand on his arm gently, looking into his eyes.

"What happened?" she barely whispered. He took a moment to compose himself, then began.

"The quest was supposed to be easy; the gods had located an ancient and powerful artifact, and issued a quest to find and retrieve it. We were all hyped; this is what we dreamed of. We were gonna go down in the books as heroes. Lee.. uh, Liam, Katie, Rose, Anita, Troy and I were chosen to bring the relic back to camp, where it would be re-hidden. It was the biggest quest ever issued. Everything was going according to plan; some demigod cult or something was worshiping this device, we took 'em out and were on our way. We never even saw the ambush coming.

"These guys in weird masks jumped us, demanding we return the relic. I fought off as many as I could, but the rest of the group knew all of us weren't making it out alive. Troy and Katie held them off while the rest of us pounded our way back to camp. I went right back out after her, I should have been there sooner, but I…" He choked, taking in a deep breath, and continuing.

"All I found was Troy, huddled on the ground clutching one of those creepy masks, muttering about some 'apocalypse'. I had promised them both I would protect them… that I would keep them all safe… I failed them." He finished, getting up and hanging his head in shame. I walked over placing a hand on his back.

"I watched my mom die saving me… not a day goes by where I don't think that it should have been me. I was right there… She was right in front of me… I let her down. But the people that we love wouldn't want us to grieve and live our lives wondering what if. I know my mother knows I loved her more than anything, and I can promise you that Katie knows you did everything in your power to try and save her. All we can do is move forwards." I ended. Mr. Bradley chuckled sadly, glancing over at me.

"So much like your mom… don't you ever lose that. She always knew how to brighten the room, even if just by being there." He thanked.

"And… and Troy… did you hear anything from him before he left?" I asked, remembering my conversations with Mr. Norman and my Aunt. Mr. Bradley's face scrunched up, seeming to remember something.

"Yeah… the last time I ever saw him, he was murmuring to himself about 'saving us all'... poor guy totally lost it. Kept claiming that he had seen the future…" Mr. Bradley explained. Before he could elaborate further, R.J. suddenly spoke up, his head whipping around curiously.

"Does anyone else hear that sound? I think there's something up with your pipes, man." He informed. I looked out the window, instantly glad I had used the restroom before we left the apartment building, because just outside the dirty widows I could see an army of skeleton marching towards us, jaws gnashing and bones grinding.

"Hey, I hate to be the one to say this, but I'm pretty sure the cops are here for you dude." R.J. said to Mr. Bradley. Marie pulled out her dagger, touching R.J.'s shoulder, who instantly unsheathed his new blade. I pressed my wristband, Mr. Bradley reaching behind the counter and pulling out a wicked looking spear.

"NOT COPS! DEFINITELY NOT COPS!" R.J. yelled. They beat down the door, flooding into the tiny diner. I threw my shield, taking out five of the monsters in one throw. Marie was slashing and stabbing at the creatures, and R.J. was swinging his sword around like a mad man, decapitating monsters left and right. Mr. Bradley was absolutely ripping through their lines; it was quite obvious that this was just another day at the office for him. We were backed up back to back, Mr. Bradley looking over his shoulder at me with a smirk.

"Dang, you've got some moves, kid. How long you been a camper?" he asked, kabobbing through three of the creatures in one stab, tossing them aside. I smacked one's head straight off of his shoulders, pitching my shield into the masses once again, watching it pinball around, knocking them over.

"Never been to any camp. I'm kind of-" I caught my shield out of the air, kicking one behind the knee, dropping it to the ground and slamming my shield into its boney neck, sending its head flying. "Self-taught" I finished, continuing my onslaught.

"Duck!" Mr. Bradley yelled. I ducked down, Mr. Bradley swinging his spear around in a circle and clearing us a little bit of breathing room.

"Oh boy, you are gonna be one heck of a fighter, kid!" He laughed. Marie and R.J. fought their way into our circle.

"I don't know whether this is terrifying or awesome!" R.J. admitted, swinging his sword into an oncoming skeleton. They kept coming, seemingly no end to their advance. Mr. Bradley stuck the blade of his spear straight through the head of one, then looked over at me for a brief moment.

"We can't keep this up forever, kid. Somethin tells me that they're after those necklaces, and the last thing I want to do is fail to keep them safe." He reached back and handed me a tiny, metallic box with a large, red button on the top.

"Anita's little creation; A teleportation cube. Press the button and throw it in front of you. You've gotta be quick; the portal will only stay open for 10 seconds before collapsing." He explained before getting in front of us, his spear at the ready.

"We can't just leave you here! They'll tear you to pieces!" I insisted. He simply smiled back at me, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well… they can try." He joked, decimating a few more as he smiled sadly, looking me right in the eyes. "I was too late once… I won't let it happen again. Get goin', kid. I'll be fine." He insisted, smacking a couple more. I gripped the cube a bit tighter, looking over to Marie and R.J.

"Guys… get ready to run!" I yelled, acknowledging both. I pressed the button on the top, tossing it away from us. For a moment nothing happened, until the box exploded, a black portal swirling to life right above it. R.J. ran over to it first, getting himself mentally prepared for the jump.

"Please don't let me die…. Please don't let me die... " He whispered, jumping into the portal and disappearing. Marie was next, just running right through. I turned and saw Mr. Bradley, fighting off the whole horde.

"Go, kid! Remember; never stop fighting!" He cried. That was the last thing I heard before I jumped into the rapidly closing portal, landing ever so ungracefully on the other side.


	13. Chapter 11

_**R.J. POV**_

I stood up and brushed myself off, feeling kind of queasy. I looked around, surveying the area. There were tools strung all over the floor, pieces of machinery here and there. There were three cars side-by-side, and it took me a minute to realize that we were standing in the middle of a garage. At first, I thought that we were alone until I heard someone whistling a little ways away. A lady walked into the light, and she obviously didn't see us, because when I said hi, she threw the wrench in her hand straight at me. It hurled at my head with deadly accuracy, and I honestly thought that that was going to smash my face in. I didn't even have time to flinch before Toni seemed to suddenly appeared in front of me, holding the wrench in his hand, looking as freaked out as I felt.

"Whoa! Ok; no! What the heck?!" Toni cried, the lady covering her mouth in horror.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! Instinct!" She swore, jogging over to us, and looking us over, especially me. I was way too dazed to even acknowledge her.

"How exactly did you get in here? We're closed." She asked after she was sure that we were okay. Toni scratched the back of his head, obviously lost for words. I mean, it isn't exactly easy to explain that we used a wormhole to magically appear in her shop.

"Oh, um… I pressed a button on this box, and it exploded into a portal that led us here." He tried, but even I thought it sounded crazy, and I had been on this whole wacky ride with him from day one. She just stood there and blinked, and for a moment I thought she was going to pick back up that wrench and go for round 2, but she just laughed, nodding.

"Don't worry, kid; I believe you. After all; I'm the one that built the thing." She smirked, spinning the wrench in her hand for extra emphasis. She wiped her hand on her pant, sticking it out towards Toni kindly.

"Anita Haynes, daughter of Hephaestus. Might I ask what brings you here, and how exactly you came into possession of my teleporter?" She asked, shaking each of our hands and getting our names.

"My name is Antonio Rodriguez… my mom sent me to find and relocate the Celeritas." Toni explained. Anita staggered backward in shock.

"That… that means that Laura…" She gasped. Toni nodded slowly, hanging his head in obvious sadness. She was obviously torn up over the news as well, a few tears making their way down her cheeks.

"Oh my gosh, Antonio… I am so sorry!" She apologized, grabbing him into a hug. Toni just stood completely still, taking a shaky breath before returning the gesture. After both of them regained their composure, she took a step back, wiping her eyes as she spokayaye.

"Your mother was such an amazing person. When I first got to camp, your mother was the first person to greet me, making me feel welcome. She helped me learn to use a sword, helped me make more friends, and supported all of my crazy ideas and inventions… she was truly my best friend. I was planning on coming down and visiting, but couldn't find the time." She finished. Toni waited for a minute, before coughing lightly.

"She told me a code phrase. Theirs not to-"

"Oh, Antonio. I know it's you. Gosh, you look so much like your mother. Here; take this. She would have wanted you to be the one to finish what she started." Anita smiled, reaching around her neck and removing a green stone that looked identical to the first two and handing it to Toni, who slipped it around his neck, smiling right back. She motioned for us to follow her, taking us across the garage. There were parts of half-built machines scattered left and right… honestly, it was a place I could really get into if we had the time. She lead us to an electrical panel, opening it up and flipping a couple of the switches, the cabinet next to the panel hissing, and jolting open, much to our surprise. She smiled at us as she swung the cabinet open, the whole thing moving on invisible hinges, revealing a secret room. It was chalked full of all different kinds of inventions and gadgets, obviously the demigod variety. There were what looked to be grenades not to dissimilar to my own design, as well as a whole bunch of others that I didn't recognize. She scanned the shelves, Obviously looking for something specific, before grabbing a pair of glasses off holding them out towards me. I must have looked pretty confused, because Ms. Haynes decided to explain.

"These are for mortals who can't see through the Mist. They'll fix that problem right up." She handed me the specks as I looked them up and down. They looked like a normal pair of rectangular framed black glasses. If I'm being honest, I kind of have a thing with glasses. Like as in I _hate_ glasses. When I was younger, I used to have to wear glasses, and actually kind of liked wearing them. I felt a bit smarter and more mature when I was wearing them. Of course, _that_ didn't last very long. As soon as the name calling started, I ditched the glasses as quickly as possible. I tried wearing them again when I was 10, but needless to say the experience didn't go much better. After being bullied yet again, this time physically, I put the glasses away and never brought them back out again. And now, here I was holding a pair of magical glasses that were supposedly the only way to let me see the supernatural creatures that seemed to be attracted to Toni without having Marie's hand constantly resting on my shoulder. Not that I minded her hand on my shoulder, it was just a highly inefficient means of being able to fight.

"How do you know I'm not a demigod?" I asked her, still not wanting to put on the glasses. She rolled her eyes, and I decided I had stalled long enough, quickly placing the frames on my face before I could overcomplicate things. I looked around, blinking slowly as I took in my brand new surroundings. Everything looked…. Exactly the same as it had before. I could only hope that these things actually worked.

"Call it intuition." Anita explained, holding a pair out to Marie.

"Actually, Ms., I can see the creatures without those. Trust me, sometimes I wish I couldn't" She explained, Ms. Haynes looking more than a bit surprised as the placed the second pair back on the shelf. Next, she grabbed down a tiny bag, handing it to Marie. Anita pulled out what looked to be a tiny marble.

"Mini flashbang. Disorients on contact. Very useful for situations when you get yourself in too deep." She explained, throwing one down the corridor. It exploded with a flash of light, blinding us even from there. Finally, she grabbed down three boxes that were identical to the one we had used to get there.

"One to get you there, one to get you back, and one for emergencies. Trust me, you will probably need it." She explained. She took a step back, looking us over.

"Do me a favor, Antonio; finish this. Hide that thing away where no one will ever find it again. It has brought so much pain to so many people… it needs to end." She finished. She showed us how to put in the coordinates to the final person on the list. She slid open a secret compartment, typing in the location, longitude, and latitude appearing on the screen. She closed it back up, and I looked up at her curiously.

"So, how exactly does this work?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Well, basically, it creates a tiny gateway between the two places, then it's as simple as manipulating the matter in your body, and transporting it from one place to another." She explained. I had dabbled a bit in particle physics myself, so I could at least understand where she was coming from, and needless to say I was very impressed.

"Alright, guys; what's say we get this quest done?" Toni asked. We walked to an open area, and he pressed the button on the box, opening another portal.

"We'll end it. I promise." Toni swore to Anita, smiling confidently as he jumped through the portal. I stole a glance at Marie before following him through and was quite surprised to see that we had landed in front of a movie studio. Toni opened the list, looking at the final name.

"Rosaline… Thomas." He said, clearly as surprised as I was.

"No freakin' way! Rosaline Thomas? The Rosaline Thomas?" I yelled, instantly regretting the decision. I heard someone mumbling around the corner, Toni quickly ushering us up the stairs and into the building. As we made our way down the hallway, I noticed a poster hanging on the wall in a frame, confirming my suspicion. This was indeed The Rosaline Thomas; the same one who starred in the hit TV sitcom series Sister, Sister. The poster was of a younger Rosaline standing back-to-back with her younger co-star Megan Baker. Toni took a moment to stop and looked with me, gesturing to the poster.

"That show is the bomb." He said.

"Dude… You like Sister, Sister?" I exclaimed, his smiling widely.

"Dude, of course! Who doesn't?" He asked.

" I know, right! I have the whole series on DVD!" I informed. He looked at me like 'this changes everything'.

"After we're all done here, we spend our break binge watching _Sister, Sister_ ," He stated firmly as I nodded in agreement.

"Hey, she'd be about our age now, wouldn't she?" He asked, gesturing to Megan Baker. I shrugged checking the date. August 17, 2004. I did the math in my head, nodding.

"Assuming she's actually 5 during the shooting, yeah." I confirmed. Marie was already down the hall, stopping and crossing her arms annoyedly, eyeing me quite angrily, as though I had done her some injustice.

"Can we please focus on the task at hand, boys?" She griped. I shook my head in confusion, jogging to catch up to her as she stomped down the hall. We made our way to Rosaline's dressing room. I saw the light on, thanking the gods that she happened to be there. Toni knocked softly, hearing rustling inside.

"Who… who is it?" I heard a lady's voice say.

"Um… my name is Antonio Rodriguez, Ms. Thomas… my mom Laura told me to find you." I explained. "Oh, come in!" She said cheerily. I opened the door slowly and instantly noticed that something wasn't right. Rosaline looked nervous, a bead of sweat on her forehead.

"... Is something wrong, ma'am?" I asked. Suddenly, the man in the mask appeared right behind her, holding a blade to her throat and staring intently at Toni.

"Oh no, Mr. Rodriguez… something is very, very right. I must applaud you for your bravery; It did not take you long at all to collect every piece of the map. Thank you for saving me the time." His robotic voice reverberated. Toni hesitated, almost taking a step toward him but stopped when Melpos held the blade closer to Rosaline's neck.

"Not this time, Mr. Rodriguez. You have exactly 10 seconds to hand over the other 3 necklaces, or her blood will be on your hands. 10….9….8…" Melpos began counting down. My mind raced, trying desperately to think of some kind of plan.

"4...3...2…"

"Okay!... okayay! Here." Toni finally cried defeatedly, ripping off the necklaces we had collected and throwing them at Melpos' feet.

"A wise decision." He sneered, pushing Rosaline into Toni, both tumbling to the ground. He picked up the necklaces, now possessing all 4.

"Finally. After all this time." Melpos whispered as he lined up the holes on each rock. He pulled a laser pointer out of his trenchcoat, placing the beam through the hole. The completed map lit up on the white wall. It was a map of the USA, with an "X" right over a location in New York. To the side were the words "Underneath the National Museum of Mythology."

"Yes… of course you would, Laura. It really suits you." Melpos whispered. He placed the rocks into his trench coat pocket, glaring at Toni with his soulless eyes.

"One warning, Mr. Rodriguez; do not get in my way, or yours will be the first blood spilled." He promised, disappearing in a gust of air. I watched as Toni fell to his knees, all of his willpower seemingly drained out of him.

"I failed. All of this was for nothing. I failed my mother's entire life's mission, and now the world is doomed..." He barely whispered. Marie walked over, practically pulling him to his feet, shocking both of us as she slapped him hard across the face. I had never seen Marie this heated before… even I had to take a step back.  
"Are you serious right now, Antonio Rodriguez?! Get on your feet, we've got a psycho to stop!" She commanded. Toni rubbed my cheek, still a bit dazed, but equally as angry.

"Don't you get it? It's over! I failed! There's no way to stop him now; he's probably already got his hands on the Celeritas." He screamed, running his hands through his spikey, black hair. I finally found the courage to step forwards, planting myself next to Marie. This whole quest had been the most life-altering event I had ever experienced. Before that, I was afraid to even stand up for myself, and after fighting monsters and seeing the impossible literally come to life before my very eyes, my outlook on life was flipped on its head. I had learned the greatest lesson of all time; that even a weak, mortal nerd like me can fight. And I was not going to go down without putting up a little fight of my own.

"We can't quit now. We've come too far." I insisted, Toni still looking completely deflated.

"Guys, there's no way we can-" he argued, head hanging in shame

"Our's not to make reply," I began, sticking out his hand and looking Toni dead in the eyes. Whether he believed it or not, there was no backing out… not now. Not when we had come so far.

"Our's not to reason why." Marie continued with determination, placing her hand on top of mine, and I couldn't help the smile that shone through my face; we were together until the end. Toni looked up, understanding what we meant. After seeming to fit himself, he set his jaw, slapping his hand on the pile.

"Our's is but to do and die. Okay, let's do this. We need a plan… I mean a good plan." Toni stated, fiddling with one of our last 2 teleportation boxes. As he paced, murmuring softly to himself, he slowly looked down at the boxes in his hand before looking back up at us, a slow smile stretching across his face.

"Okay… here's what we're gonna do."


	14. Chapter 12

_**Toni POV**_

When we stepped through the portal, we were greeted with a demolished floor of the Museum of Mythology. I looked down the hole, then between each of my friends.

"Ugh… Fine! I'll go first." I sighed, jumping into the hole and landing with a thud.

"Alright, let's go!" I whispered up the hole. Once we were all on the same floor, we began making our way forwards carefully, me holding my shield up in front of us as we moved. We came to another blown out wall that should have been a dead end, but lead into a dusty room, where the man in the mask stood. In front of him was a large, black box, with 4 colored slots in it. Each was color coded, having a corresponding stone to fit in, making a key and lock system; the final safeguard between humanity and destruction being broken as he reached in and pulled out the Celeritas… a black, Greek armguard. Honestly, I was more than a little disappointed at first. _That_ was the legendary doomsday device? An _armguard?!_ Though I couldn't see it, I could tell Melpos was amused.

"This is indeed the Celeritas; a device that allows the wearer to manipulate the laws of time themselves. I have searched far and wide for this magnificent artifact. I needed it." He stated. He quickly slid the arm guard onto his right arm, a dark, black aura overtaking his whole body. I stepped forwards, planting my foot in anger.

"No more riddles, Melpos; tell me who you are! Why do you need the Celeritas so badly?" I demanded. He slowly reached up, grabbing his mask, sliding it off, ski mask and all. I could feel my stomach drop to my feet as I staggered back. Words cannot describe the absolute horror and shock that coursed through me as I gazed upon the face of my history teacher, Mr. Norman. "Mr. Norman! Why?" I cried.

"Because! It was the only way!" He screamed at me in anger. "My sister didn't deserve to die that day! She was supposed to come back, not sacrifice her future; and for what? No… she was taken from me! I held it in for so long; keeping up the charade… " He continued, the pieces falling into place.

"The girl that died on the Celeritas quest… Kate… she was your sister…" I realized. The pain on Mr. Norman's face was near unbearable.

"My baby sister… They sent her on that quest, when it should have been me! She didn't deserve that, and now… now I can fix it." He explained, holding up his right arm for extra emphasis.

"You plan on using the Celeritas to go back in time and save your sister. But you can't mess with time like that; think of the repercussions!" I tried to reason with him. I'm not sure if it was the Celeritas or just his pure, undaunted emotion finally flowing out… perhaps it was both. Regardless, there was no reasoning with him.

"I don't care! I will have my sister back, Antonio." He snarled. I held up my shield, ready to attack.

"You know I can't let you do that, Mr. Norman." I yelled. He laughed, putting the mask back on, the eyes now glowing a glossed over red color.

"Try and stop me." He challenged. I took off at him, running as fast as I could as time seemed to slow around me. The minute I thought I could reach him, He simply… vanished.

"You can't defeat me, Mr. Rodriguez. You are no match for me. You are merely delaying the inevitable." He spat. Again, I charged him, but just couldn't reach him in time. This time, I stopped, pivoting around and throwing my shield at him. He moved his head out of the way at the last minute, my shield flying past him harmlessly.

It boomeranged back around, slamming into my arm guard. I tried and tried, but couldn't even get close to him. Suddenly, I felt the wind get knocked out of me, Melpos driving his fist into my stomach with such force it lifted me off of my feet. Through squinted eyes I could see the Celeritas glow a deep black aura.

"Let's go for a little ride, Mr. Rodriguez." He snarled. Before I could respond, I felt him grab me by the shirt and take off running faster than I could even comprehend. I could almost feel time reversing around us; it sounded like the fabric of space-time itself was being ripped in half, when in a loud bang we suddenly burst out of the black tunnel. Still running at mach speeds, Melpos jumped up in the air, and threw me into what felt like a rocky structure. I smashed straight through it and cratered into the ground on the other side. I blinked away the red spots in my vision, horrified to see I was in what looked like an ancient Greek city, people in togas running all around and screaming in panic. I didn't even have a second to get up, as Melpos was there, grabbing me by the neck and hoisting me into the air. I saw a giant mountain, horrified as the top blew off and I realized where we were; Pompeii. Melpos took off again, this time taking us to Egypt. Still flying at supersonic speeds, I felt my face get smashed into a stone structure, scraping up half of my face. For a moment, we paused, and I saw the ancient Sphinx statue, with its nose completely blown off. I didn't have time to process as we yet again sped off, reappearing in a city that I could halfway recognize from history; San Francisco. Except we were thousands of miles above it. I could feel blood running down my face as we dropped, Melpos pitching me down at the ground. I slammed into the ground, pain unlike I had ever felt before coursing through my entire body. I could see the shock wave of the impact, buildings falling and people running. Melpos grabbed my limp body once more.

"Pompeii, Italy; Giza, Egypt; San Francisco, California, 1906. History has a way of rewriting itself, Mr. Rodriguez. My sister is no different." He stated coldly. I spat out blood as I spoke.

"But… you'd...never stop… at just her." I wheezed. I could feel his grip around my neck tighten as we took off, reappearing in the present, Melpos casting my limp form onto the ground. Apparently I looked really, really bad. Because Marie screamed, and R.J. audibly gasped as I lay there, unable to even get back up. I reached into my jean pocket, pulling out the little graham cracker like squares my aunt had given me. With all of my remaining might, I placed the tiny square in my mouth, chewing it slowly. As soon as I swallowed, I could feel the ambrosia working in tandem with my already accelerated healing. In less than a minute, I was clawing my way back onto my feet. I felt much better, but still felt really terrible. My knees felt like jelly as I stood panting next to my friends. Melpos clenched his hand, obviously furious.

"I never wanted this for you, Antonio; but when I found out that your mother had moved into the area, I knew that I had to act. I knew your mother; she would never give up the location, not unless she had to And the others would never give the necklaces to me… it had to be someone they would believe your mother sent… someone they would trust." He explained. I snapped my head up, all of the previous pain replaced by undaunted rage, my blood boiling hotter than it ever had before.

"You… you sent that monster to my house… the one that killed my mom… that was you?" I screamed, Melpos looking away from me. I charged at him in a blind rage, but just as I almost reached him I felt myself slowing down. He reached out and grabbed my shirt, hoisting me into the air as he smashed my face in with the Celeritas, the metal gauntlet acting as brass knuckles as it crashed into my head and at the best breaking my nose. Pain lanced through me as Melpos continued his attacks, his body on top of mine to stop me from running away. Dots danced in front of my eyes, and I was positive that I was going to black out if it weren't for the metal constantly hitting my face, shocking me back into consciousness.

"I… I didn't want this… but they took my sister from me. I had no choice." He cried, tears streaming down his face, and the moment he faltered in his attacks to speak those words, Marie ran forward, a knife in her hands that she dug into his suit. Melpos let out a cry of pain, and I took that moment to roll out from under Melpos, using the brief advantage of surprise I had to throw my shield at him. He simply raised his hand, my shield coming to a halt in mid air, then propelling back at me and knocking me over. Suddenly, the room began twisting and morphing, until we were standing near what looked to be a strawberry patch. Melpos reached out and touched one of the plants, only for it to pass through his hand. It was then I realised the Celeritas was doing this, though if it wasn't real… it had to be a memory.

" _Where is she, Charlie?!" I heard a teenage boy's voice scream. I saw a boy who could only be a younger Mr. Norman rushing towards a very beefed Mr. Bradley, who was carrying something in his hand as he stumbled down the path._

" _Charlie, where is she? Where is my sister?" Young Norman demanded. When Charlie didn't respond, young Norman staggered back._

"No… no" Melpos whispered, clearly seeing the same thing I did _._

 _Charlie looked up sadly at young Norman, trying to hold back tears._

" _Jimmy, she's… I couldn't… Katie…" Charlie fell to the ground, the item in his hand rolling to a stop at Jimmy's feet. Stunned beyond the ability to react, Jimmy simply reached down, picking up the object. It was a Greek melpomene mask, now stained across the face in a diagonal stripe. Time seemed to shift again, as we were now standing in the midst of a large crowd, someone giving a speech about Katie, what looked to be a large flag being burned. All around, I heard tiny voices whispering accusations all at once._

' _It should've been you'_

' _Why would you let her go?'_

' _What kind of brother are you?'_

' _You let your sister die'_

The funeral proceeded, my heart nearly dropping when I saw a younger version of my mom taking the stage, clearing her throat with emotion.

" _Katie… was a wonderful friend, and a true fighter. She once told me that the world is what you make it, not what it makes you. I'm sure that if she could see us now, she would tell us to stop crying, and start fighting…" Laura Beth continued. The whispers continued berating us._

' _Where were you?'_

' _How could you let this happen?'_

' _I thought you loved her'_

"NO! MAKE IT STOP!" Melpos cried, grabbing his head in agony. I had fully recovered, taking this moment to throw my shield, knocking off the mask. The room instantly returned to normal, A wave of nostalgia sweeping over me as I remembered that it was Mr. Norman, the man that was closer to me than a father, the man whom my mom loved and trusted; and the man that killed her in exchange.

I ran forward, Melpos letting out a roar as he lunged at me once more. But now, grief and pain were making his swings sloppy, his moves that of a reckless and broken man; not one of someone who spent years, decades really, perfecting revenge against the very thing that killed his sister. Dodging an oncoming punch, I feigned to the right before lunging left, landing a sharp blow to his gut. Melpos let out an anguished cry, and I forced myself to ignore him. He swung at me again, and this time probably would have hit me, had a blade not swung out and collided with the Celeritas, R.J. gripping the sword I'd given him nervously as Melpos fell to the ground.

Marie got behind him, the 3 of us forming a little triangle around his body. Marie and R.J. both attacked at the same time, R.J. slashing at his feet and Marie at his chest. Melpos just missed the sword R.J. gripped, but the tiny dagger drove into him Marie held. Melpos grabbed Maries wrist, but quickly let go when my shield smashed his uncovered hand. R.J. swung his sword with lightning speed, Melpos using the Celeritas to block every strike, which left him vulnerable. I vaulted my shield into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"R.J.! Marie! _Now_!" I yelled, Marie throwing a flashbang into Melpos's face. He stumbled back, and R.J. threw something at the ground.

" _Back!_ "

I grabbed Marie and bolted over to the edge of the room at R.J.'s cry, the ground where we were just standing seeming to fade away, Melpos's eyes widening as he regained his senses from the projectile explosive.

"The Void… Anita finally did it," he whispered, before a loud _boom_ was heard, his body seeming to be enveloped in black fog, Celeritas and all being sucked into the smokey portal and disappearing into nothing.

When the fog left his body, dissipating into the stairwell, the room seemed to look exactly the same before R.J.'s trick, except for one crucial difference; Melpos's body, looking like a shriveled-up husk of itself, on the ground. Before our eyes, his body seemed to fade into dust, before that too disappeared.


	15. Chapter 13

Silence fell into the room, broken only by the creak of metal as R.J. dropped his sword to the ground. "What _was_ that," Marie whispered, her eyes transfixed at the spot where Melpos once was.

"That… was one of the teleportation devices. I had Ms. Haynes help me modify the dark matter regulation core. We set it to maximum output, then changed the coordinates to negative zero, negative zero. She told me she had accidentally done it before… said it lead to a place called "the Void", where time doesn't exist… A perfect place to hide the Celeritas. She said it should have enough pull to suck Melpos in, even with his super speed-" R.J. looked at the ground, before waving his arms in the general direction of the room. "-it worked."

Marie snorted bitterly. "You've got that right." Seeing as though our work was seemingly done, I pulled out the final teleportation cube, entering in the coordinates for our street. I took one last glance behind us before pressing the button and tossing the teleporter out in front of us. We all stepped through, and back onto our block. For a moment, we all just stood there, taking it in.

"We...we did it… we saved the freakin' planet!" Marie barely whispered

I think I'm gonna get a shower to celebrate… a nice, long, peaceful shower…" R.J. said happily. Stretching out and adjusting the strap on his sword. Marie laughed at his sudden comment, the three of us walking together towards our homes. I pulled out the faded, folded, and slightly ripped note that my mom had given to me with the iPod, flipping it over and reading the address I had already memorized. I slowed to a stop when the sudden realization hit me, both of my friends instantly noticing.

"Hey, man; you ok?" R.J. asked worriedly, but Marie just looked at me with a hint of sadness, like she already knew what I was going to say.

"You're not staying… are you?" She asked.

"I'm actually going to go check out my mom's camp… My aunt told me it runs year round… Maybe they can help me get some direction in life, you know?" I admitted. R.J. looked like he had been hit by a truck, Marie slightly less surprised by the news.

"W- when will you be leaving?" R.J. asked.

"As soon as I get my stuff packed and say goodby to my aunt and uncle, so…" I tensed my shoulders, running to my house and packing all my clothes in a duffel bag before speeding back, not a second after I'd left. "Now."

R.J. walked back over slowly, grabbing me in an embrace, looking through my half-hearted joke easily. "Toni, you have no idea just how much you've changed my life, bro. All the action and adventure I wished I had… you made it come true." He explained emotionally. I held him out at arms length, clapping my hand on his shoulder.

"Never forget; you're a hero, R.J. Act like one, especially in school." I said, feeling my vision grow blurry with tears. He nodded, stepping off to the side. Marie was already tearing up, trying to cover it up.

"Shut up and hug me, Rodriguez." She demanded, causing R.J. and I to chuckle.

"Thank you. I finally don't feel like such a freak. I'm gonna miss you, Toni." She admitted. I hugged her a bit more tightly, before letting go and putting in one my earbuds.

"Don't go and get yourself killed, Rodriguez!" Marie yelled. I rolled my eyes and pressed play on my iPod, _Goin' Up the Country_ by Canned Heat suddenly playing as I picked up my bags and took off down the road at mach speeds. After a few minutes I arrived at my destination, looking down at the paper in my hands, then back up in disbelief.

"Camp Half-Blood? That's a weird name." I mumbled, hoisting up my bags and making my way up the hill. I walked backwards for a moment, taking in the giant pine tree planted there.

"Wow, that thing is gi-" I suddenly bumped into someone, knocking us both over, my bags falling to the ground.

"Whoa… sorry, dude. Didn't see you there." I admitted.

"Hey, It's no problem. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood." The man replied. He was a few inches taller than I was, his green eyes radiating friendliness. His black hair was brushed off to the side messily, looking like he had just stepped out of bed. We both got back up, and he picked up one of my bags.

"The name's Percy, by the way. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." He greeted. "Come on, let me show you around!" He offered. As I took in the smell of fresh strawberries, and the sight of other kids my age dueling with blades and firing arrows at targets, I could feel it in my bones; this would be home very, very soon.


	16. Epilogue

The sound of metal clanking could be heard throughout the camp. A large crowd was gathered together in a circle, chanting and cheering as loudly as they could. In the middle of the circle, two fighters stood their ground; one with a giant metal disc strapped to his wrist, and the other with a simple ballpoint pen which had come to be a legend.

"You sure you don't want a blade, Toni?" Percy smirked, Toni returning the banter.

"Nah, I'm good. I think I can whoop your butt just fine without one, thanks."

Percy laughed, standing at the ready. In the six months he had been at camp, Toni had grown into a remarkable warrior; his speed coupled with actual training made him a force to be reckoned with in the ring, and he quickly rose in ranks to become one of Percy's favorite training partners. Many times their little scuffles ended in a draw, but sometimes one would get the upper hand; and though it was always Percy, Toni was quickly learning the son of Poseidon's strengths and weaknesses. This time, however, their match had to be postponed, one of the campers cupping his hands and screaming over the crowd.

"Toni! Chiron wants to see you in his office!" The voice rang out. There were more than a few boos as Percy laughed before recapping Riptide, Toni making his way through the crowd, out the arena, and to Chiron's office, his shield already shrinking back down to it's wristband form.

Toni could already hear the soft, classical music playing in the background as he knocked twice, a voice telling him to enter before he pushed open the door, grinning at the centaur who already knew what was coming. Ever since Toni had come to camp, every time Chiron asked to speak with him, Toni had always started out with the same sentence.

"You know, I could fix you right up with some _good_ music; ELO, Tom Jones, Led Zeppelin …" Toni began listing off some off the top of his head, Chiron chuckling and shaking his head.

"Thank you, Antonio, but Beethoven suits me just fine." He politely declined. Toni shrugged, jamming his hands in his jean pocket and leaning up against the doorway.

"...Okay. I take it you didn't call me in here just to discuss our differences in musical taste?" Toni assumed, cocking an eyebrow. Every other time Chiron had called him to the Big House, it had been pretty much the same; retell the story of how he'd found the Celeritas, and then be interrogated for a while before being allowed to leave the office. And yet, this time seemed different. Chiron turned down his music and leaned forwards on his desk, resting his chin in his hands.

"No… no I did not." He agreed. Opening his desk, he pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Toni. It looked a lot like the one Dr. Gnosa had given him, what felt like a lifetime ago. A few things had been scrawled onto it with seeming haste, black pen covering half of it. Toni looked up, obviously perplexed.

"I… I don't understand…" He admitted. Chiron wheeled around the desk, looking off into the distance deep in thought.

"Toni, there are some things in our world that must be kept a secret, even from those who live in it. Some things could cause much harm, if others ever found out about them. That is why in many cases, the gods choose to keep information from mortals and demigods alike, to keep the peace." He began cryptically, Toni just looking more confused.

"The Celeritas… it is not the only weapon of its kind. There are others that are equal in power, and that are equally as dangerous in the wrong hands." Chiron explained, Toni straightening up at the bombshell dropped on him. "You are also not the only half-blood out there fighting against the forces of evil… there are other pure hearts who fight the good fight." Chiron continued, wheeling back behind his desk.

"What does this have to do with me? I mean, what is my place in all of this?" Toni asked, still processing the load of information that had been dropped on him. Chiron seemed to think about his response for a moment, a silence falling over the room, the whispers of Beethoven's 5th barely audible.

"Sometimes history is wrong, you know." Chiron began. "For instance, there was a quarrel many many years ago, against the primordial deity Ouranos, who wanted to conquer the gods and become supreme ruler of all. The gods, knowing that they would not be able to defeat the Primordial themselves without attracting the attention of the mortals and causing mass panic, tasked a group of demigods with taking care of the threat, deeming the group 'The Spartans of Olympus'. Together, these powerful heroes defeated Ouranos themselves, securing peace and safety for eons to come." Chiron ended, Toni entranced by the story. After a moment of silence, Toni spoke up.

"I mean, that is an amazing story and all, but where do I fit into all this?" He asked. Before Chiron could answer, a woman's voice ringing out through the room.

"Antonio Rodriguez, your role in all of this is very important." She spoke, stepping out into the light, brown hair tied up in a Greecian-styled ponytail, steely gray eyes eerily prominent against her tanned skin.

"... And you are?" Toni questioned confidently, obviously oblivious to whom he spoke. The woman scowled, her long fingers twitching dangerously as a seemingly random wind swept through out the room, the Beethoven falling silent as the window fluttered open.

"You _mort_ -" the woman began, her words sharp and cold as Toni swallowed nervously.

"Forgive him, Lady Athena… He had no idea." Chiron interjected quickly. Toni's eyes grew twice their original size.

"Oh. Athena… sorry, ma'am." Toni apologized, and despite herself Athena smiled, still gazing into Toni's eyes.

"Something bothering you, Antonio?" She asked.

"...Can I be really honest?" He questioned, Athena nodding.

"Not to be rude, but you don't really look that… godly. I mean no disrespect, I'm just surprised you look so…" Toni struggled to find the right word.

"Human?" She supplied, Toni nodding.

"Many people are taken by surprise when I appear in this form, but I assure you; I am not human. All formalities aside, I have a quest for you… a quest Zeus doesn't know about," She added ominously on the end, and Toni seemed to get the message loud and clear; no one was to know what he was really doing.

"As Chiron so elegantly explained, in times of extreme peril, and when mass chaos could potentially be avoided, the Olympians will put together a group of demigods to fight for us as our champions; as our Spartans. Antonio Rodriguez, I need you to go and find these other demigods; the protectors of good and pure of heart. Find them, and return them to camp. A great evil is awakening on this planet; a force of darkness that threatens to consume us. The Spartans of Olympus must rise once again." With that, Athena disappeared in a gray fog, turning into an owl that quickly flew out of the window, leaving only Toni and Chiron. After giving Toni a moment to regain his composure and gather his thoughts, Chiron quietly broke the ice.

"When another relic is activated, it will send up a unique energy spike that will trigger this GPS system," Chiron explained, handing him the positioning system. "The rest will be up to you. You are free to go whenever you please. I am so sorry about this, Antonio; I hate it when my campers get tied up in these messes." Chiron unconsciously gestured towards the door as he spoke, his mind whirring with what this new change could bring. Toni was halfway out out of the Big House when Chiron called his name, Toni leaning back into the doorway.

"You mustn't speak of this to anyone; I take it Lady Athena made that clear?" Chiron asked. Toni gave a thumbs up, doing his best to pull out a sly smirk even though his nerves jangled inside.

"Crystal. Hey, I'm gonna hit the showers real quick before diner…" Toni said, more asking than telling. Chiron smiled and nodded, Toni took in a breath before slipping out of the baby-blue house, murmuring softly to himself.

" 'The Spartans of Olympus'… how hard could it be?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A shadowy figure stood in the middle of seemingly nowhere, his arms crossed behind his back. Suddenly, a gust of air blew in from behind. The figure turned, looking upon the kneeling form of Melpos.

"All went according to plan. They opened a portal to the Void just as you said they would, master." Melpos informed. The man laughed, not moving an inch.

"But of course. And the Celeritas?" He asked. Melpos held up his are, the guards still there.

"Excellent. The pieces are all falling into play." The man turned back around, raising his hand as a portal opened in front of him to places unknown.

"Excellent. The portal to the Void has created a tear in it's fabric; we can now come and go as we please. Your role has been fulfilled for now."

"What about my sister? You promised me-" Melpos began, but the shadowy figure simply raised his hand, silencing him.

"I am a man of my word. When I have what I want, you will have your sister back." He promised. Melpos nodded, slipping the armguard off and slowly handing in over to the man. He simply tossed it back into the Void, much to the surprise of Melpos.

"Just one piece in the grander puzzel, Melpos. All will be revealed soon." The man promised, he and Melpos stepping out of the Void, and into the unknown.


End file.
